


The Others.

by steeleye



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Multi, Sci-Fi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-05-27 06:05:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 84,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15018296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steeleye/pseuds/steeleye
Summary: Buffy wondered if her mother would keep her room as a shrine to her 'Taken' daughter. One thing was for sure, the instant Dawn turned seventeen, her mom would march her down to the nearest fertility clinic and make sure she got pregnant well before graduation.





	1. Chapter 1

The Others.

By Steeleye.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I write these stories for fun not profit.

 **Crossover:** Not really a non-xover because I've taken ideas from a lot of sources. However I can't really call this a multiple xover either.

 **Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar:** Written in glorious UK-English which is different to US-English.

 **Timeline:** Alternate reality, set about half way through what would have been BtVS Season Three.

 **Words:** Twenty-Seven chapters each of 3000+ words.

 **Warnings:** Character death/s, other than that I can't think of anything.

 **Summary:** Buffy wondered if her mother would keep her room as a shrine to her 'Taken' daughter. One thing was for sure, the instant Dawn turned seventeen, her mom would march her down to the nearest fertility clinic and make sure she got pregnant well before graduation.

0=0=0=0

**Monday night, Sunnydale, 1999, four months before graduation.**

Standing on the sidewalk, Xander checked his new watch, still five minutes to go before the designated time. With all the money he'd been earning recently he'd been able to dump the old Mickey Mouse watch that he'd used to wear. No longer would he have to tell people that he was wearing it to be 'ironic'. The real reason he'd worn it was because he'd found it, so it was free, he couldn't have afforded a 'real' watch before The Others had arrived and his parents would certainly not have bought him one as good as the watch he wore now.

Checking his watch again he saw that it was now just a minute shy of eight o'clock; after taking a moment to admire the solid gold casing of his new time piece, Xander started to walk up the garden path towards the house and his next appointment. Even with the money he was earning now he'd never have been able to afford such an expensive watch, he'd got it cheap off a guy who sold stuff he'd 'found' in the ruins of LA. That was another consequence of The Other's arrival, if you lived near one of the 'Taken' cities stuff like gold watches were cheap...free if you were willing to sneak past the National Guard and Police cordon and search through the ruins yourself.

Walking up the garden path, Xander smiled to himself, only a few years ago he'd never have dreamed of walking up to the front door of this large and expensive house. Back then the owners would have set their dogs on him (if they'd had any dogs) or failing that they'd have called the police. Now people welcomed 'One Shot Harris', if not with open arms, then at least with an envelope stuffed with dollar bills. One thing was for sure, Xander Harris had done well out of The Other's arrival, sometimes he even felt guilty about what he was doing and waived his fee. He'd certainly waived his fee when Willow's mom had tried to press the money on him. He just couldn't take money for 'doing' Willow, like he'd not take the money if Ms Summers asked him to 'do' Buffy. He had his standards, okay they were pretty low ones, but they were still standards, some lines could _not_ be crossed. However, some he was quite happy to cross, like the ones he'd be crossing any minute now.

After checking his reflection in the glass panel of the door, Xander noted with a smile that these days he was also better dressed. Seeing there was no door bell, he reached up and lifted the heavy brass door knocker, he knocked sharply just the twice and the door was opened almost immediately by Mr Kendal, Xander guessed he must have been waiting just behind the door.

“Xander,” Mr Kendal smiled, obviously a little embarrassed by the entire situation.

“Mr Kendal,” Xander replied and waited for Bob Kendal to invite him in.

When Bob Kendal had first phoned Xander, he'd been surprised how nice the guy actually was. Next when Xander had met both Mr and Mrs Kendal to sign the contract he'd been shocked to discover that they actually were a very nice couple and he asked himself how these nice people had ended up with a complete bitch like Harmony for a daughter? Even without Mr Kendal's powerful job and big salary, Xander would have swapped the Kendal's for his own parents in a flash. Perhaps, he thought idly, as he waited for Mr Kendal to invite him in, the real Harmony had been stolen by demons and replaced by the evil slut who'd made Willow's early school days a complete misery. When Xander had remembered how miserable Harmony had made Willow all those years ago he'd almost doubled his normal fee. But, Harmony was one of Cordy's 'Cordettes' and Cordelia had 'recommended' him to all her friends. Cordy had been his first customer, it was she who'd given him his nickname, 'One Shot Harris', she'd been mega impressed with his work.

“Erm, Mr Kendal,” Xander spoke up when it started to look like he'd be standing on the doorstep until some time after graduation, “don't you think I better come in?”

“S-sorry, yes,” Bob sighed sadly, “I'm forgetting my manners...please come in Xander.”

“Thanks,” Xander stepped inside the house; while Mr Kendal was closing the door, Xander took a moment to look around, nice, he thought; tasteful and so not what he'd expected to find Harmony's home to be like.

“Can I get you anything?” Bob Kendal asked.

“Sorry?” Xander turned to face Harmony's dad and noted the look of concern on his face, he was probably wondering if he was doing the right thing, he was obviously a good father.

“A drink maybe, something to eat?” Bob asked.

“No,” Xander smiled and shook his head, “no, thank-you,” he took a deep breath, “Look, Mr Kendal, I don't wanna appear rude but I've found that its best for me to be in and out...” Xander suddenly realised that his last comment probably wasn't one-hundred percent appropriate just now, “...sorry,” he apologised, “It's just that I've found it best if I get this over with quickly and just go...”

“Oh,” Mr Kendal suddenly found the carpet on the hall floor very interesting.

“I don't want to sound harsh but...” Xander found he couldn't say anymore, he really did feel sorry for Mr Kendal, instead of trying to make Bob Kendal feel better about what he was about to do, Xander asked, “Harmony's upstairs in her room right?”

“Yes, first door on the right at the top of the stairs,” Bob Kendal's voice was barely above a whisper.

“You're doing the right thing, Sir,” Xander tried to reassure the man as he started up the stairs.

“The money?” Bob held up the envelope containing Xander's thousand dollar fee.

“Erm...” Xander stopped, turned and looked down at Harmony's dad, “...best if you leave it on the table there,” he gestured to a table next to the front door, “I'll pick it up as I leave, there'll be no need to see me out...it's best if I just go...I expect Harmony will want her mom and dad close after...”

Xander had seen this before, a father fixating on the money side of the contract so as to take his mind off what was about to happen to his 'little girl'.

“Okay...” Bob Kendal left the envelope on the hall table and walked off into another room; he was probably going to comfort his wife now, really it was the only thing that a loving father could do under the circumstances.

0=0=0=0

Reaching the top of the stairs, Xander was confronted by half a dozen doors, he chose the one that was 'first on the right' walked softly over to it and knocked.

“C-come in,” Harmony's voice called from the other side of the door, she sounded scared.

At least Harmony hadn't locked the door or tried to run away. He'd had one or two girls who'd done that. They'd had a sudden change of heart and said that they'd work harder at school to make the cut. Next there'd be a lot of crying as the girl's parents begged their daughter to go with him, it was all very upsetting; Xander was far from heartless and he'd always arrange to come back another night when the girl had calmed down.

Walking into Harmony's room, Xander paused, now this _was_ what he'd expected; Harmony's room was all pink and white and 'fluffy'. Plus it seemed like every spare flat surface was covered in model unicorns, there had to be hundreds of them, it felt creepy with them all looking at him. Taking a deep breath, Xander walked over to where Harmony lay in her bed holding her duvet up to her chin so only her head, and fingers were visible.

“Hi Harm,” Xander said quietly, Harmony looked to be close to tears, “look we'll get this over with quickly and then you can go back to planning what you're going to do with the rest of your life.”

Sitting down on the foot of Harmony's bed, Xander started to take off his shoes.

“You w-won't hurt me, will you?” Harmony sobbed just a little.

“Now why would I hurt you?” Xander stopped what he was doing and turned his head to look at the frightened girl.

“Because I've always been so mean to Willow...?” Harmony explained.

“Look,” Xander sighed heavily and began again, “look I won't lie to you, when your dad asked me to...you know...well, I did think of doubling my fee,” Xander smiled down at Harmony as he pulled off his shirt, “but, I'm not the kind of guy who'd hurt a girl...”

“Yeah that's what Cordy said,” Harmony nodded, “okay...” she pushed back her covers to expose her body, she'd been nude lying there waiting for him to come to her, “...please be gentle with me.”

Completely undressed now, Xander stood and looked down at Harmony's body, she had a nice figure, good breasts and the sort of hips that would make child birth easy for her.

“Okay,” Xander climbed into bed next to her, “lets get this done so we can both get on with our lives, okay?”

0=0=0=0

The Others had arrived about two months after Buffy had come to live in Sunnydale. Both Xander and Willow had been aware of the supernatural menace and at first the Scoobies and Giles had sort of assumed that The Others were some sort of demon race, but they were soon to be proved wrong. As interstellar invasions go, the arrival of The Others was something of an anti-climax. There were no great starships hanging in the sky over the world's major cities; there were no titanic battles in which the forces of humanity defeated the alien invaders in the nick of time. In fact, as far as anyone could see there were no alien invaders to fight.

The Others announced their arrival on the twenty-eighth of April nineteen-ninety-seven simultaneously to every human being on the planet and in the hearer's own language. The next day The Others issued their demands, adding that they'd prefer it if humanity co-operated but if the peoples of the Earth didn't, well they'd just take what they wanted anyway. Of course the world's governments had vowed to unite and fight the invaders. However, it was just a little difficult to fight something that didn't seem to be there.

Not long after The Others had arrived, Giles had suggested that they might actually be on a different plain of existence and couldn't exist for long in Earth's reality. Of course trying to explain this to the government or the military would mean a one way trip to the loony bin. To be fair most of the world's governments were being bombarded by kooks who had weird ideas about how to defeat the invaders. Anyway, it remained doubtful whether simple 'mundane' weapons could harm the invaders even if you could see them to fight them.

Eventually the deadline for Earth's capitulation to The Others' demands passed and when nothing happened everyone thought the entire invasion scare had been one giant hoax. However, the following day the populations of one major town or city in every country of the world simply vanished. The buildings weren't damaged, nothing was destroyed, the people simply disappeared. Standing on the roof of Sunnydale High, Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander had watched the glow in the night sky as LA burnt. The aliens hadn't started the fires but with no people around to look after things and with all the crashes that had been caused when drivers and pilots had simply disappeared from the controls of their vehicles the great city had just gone up in flames.

The same thing happened all around the globe. At first it was the small countries with small population bases that gave up the 'fight'. Countries like the United States, China and Russia tried to hold out but when a second wave of cities had their populations removed even these countries gave up. Within two weeks of the aliens announcing their presence the world was completely under their control and not a single shot had been fired in Earth's defence. 

What had the aliens really come all this way for, people wanted to know and not really believing the alien's original demands. But the aliens meant what they said, they wanted people. They didn't say what for, or why, but they did say what sort of people they wanted. They wanted the brightest and the most stupid. On reaching the age of eighteen every child on Earth was to be tested, it was like SATs but if you didn't pass or passed too well you not only didn't go to college you simply vanished. The Others wanted the bottom scoring twenty-five percent of all eighteen year olds plus the top five percent. The aliens appeared to be great fans of mediocrity. You couldn't run or refuse to take the tests, if you did the aliens just took you anyway. You couldn't hide because the aliens had been implanting children and teenagers with some sort of tracking device. It was small, about the size of a grain of rice and if you tried to have it removed you died within twenty-four hours of the procedure. 

No one knew how the aliens were implanting them. You went to sleep without an implant and woke up with one. The really worrying thing was that babies were being born with the implants already implanted. The aliens didn't seem to worry about implanting adults, eventually everyone on Earth would have a chip as the generations died of old age, the aliens didn't seem to care how long the process took.

Graduation now became a time of fear. Who would be taken and who would be left behind were the questions asked, not; how good a score anyone got and which college you would be going to. One moment someone was there and the next...their clothes would be lying in an untidy heap on the floor. However, there were ways of getting out of being 'taken' if you weren't mediocre college material; but only if you were a girl. The Others wouldn't take pregnant girls or girls who already had children. This meant that during their senior year, girls who thought that they weren't going to get average enough marks had a decision to make. Should they risk being taken or should they get pregnant and guarantee not to be taken?

This was how Xander earnt himself $1000 every time he impregnated one of his female classmates. Cordelia had been the first to ask him. They'd had that short relationship which had surprised everyone, the head cheerleader and the school doofus. The relationship had ended when Cordelia found Xander cheating on her with Willow. However, Cordelia had obviously seen something in Xander, so, when she decided she wasn't going to risk being taken she'd asked Xander to get her pregnant. 

They'd had sex exactly once and three weeks later Cordy missed her period and she discovered she was pregnant. Thus was born the legend of 'One Shot Harris'. Soon other girls were approaching Xander to get them pregnant, even the parents of girls were asking him to save their daughters...for a small fee. It was Cordy who'd suggested he charge $1000, with a money back guarantee if the girl didn't fall pregnant. Xander had impregnated Willow for free, because she was his friend and she was likely be in the top five percent. How only Buffy remained of his female friends who'd not asked for his help and he was getting worried, there were only four months to go before graduation.

0=0=0=0

His work done, Xander dressed and left Harmony's room, she seemed to have enjoyed herself, he did what he could to make the entire procedure as painless as possible both mentally and physically. It was a bonus if his 'client' enjoyed herself. Heading down the stairs to the front door he saw his envelope lying on the table by the door. Picking it up he didn't even bother to check to see if all the money was there, Bob Kendal didn't seem like the sort of guy who'd try to short him. Opening the door he didn't bother calling to say he was leaving he just headed on out into the night and turned his feet towards home.

0=0=0=0


	2. Chapter 2

2.

**Tuesday morning, Buffy's bedroom.**

The alarm clock's mechanism clicked, but, before the bell even had a chance to ring an arm shot from beneath the bed covers and grabbed the clock in a death grip. Silenced before the little hammer struck either of the bells the clock remained mute. Pushing back her bedding, Buffy sat up yawned and stretched, blinking the sleep from her eyes she glanced over to her window and saw the sun burning through her curtains. It was a start of another sunny California day and one day closer to graduation. The realisation that graduation was only four months away hit Buffy like a wet fish in the face, it was as if she'd forgotten about it in her sleep only to be reminded by the dawning of another new day.

Pushing back her duvet, Buffy swung her legs out of bed and placed her feet on the floor. Dry scrubbing her face she sat there for a moment as she let her memories sort themselves out. It was actually less than four months to graduation and very soon she'd need to make a decision. Her choices were plain; let Xander get her pregnant, risk doing her SATs or... or the third choice was one she really didn't want to think about just now. As she stood up, her bladder reminded her she needed to get to the bathroom before Dawn did. Not bothering with her robe she headed out into the hall dressed only in her PJ bottoms and one of the old tank-tops that she liked to wear to bed. Out in the hall she checked for any sign of Dawn whilst at the same wishing she had her own bathroom. Crossing the hall she slipped into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Only fifteen minutes later, Buffy reappeared ready to face the world and whatever it decided to throw at her today.

“Hi Dawnie!” Buffy called cheerfully as she saw her younger sister heading along the corridor towards her; Dawn gave Buffy a monosyllabic grunt in reply as she rushed towards the bathroom door. “Fine, and good morning to you Buffy!” Buffy mimicked her sister's voice, “I'm fine thank-you for asking...”

“Whaa?” Dawn stared from the bathroom door at Buffy looking as if she thought her older sister was insane or something; Dawn got no answer because Buffy had once again disappeared into her own room. Shrugging, Dawn went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her; she loved her sister dearly but she'd never understand her.

0=0=0=0

The tension in the air as Buffy entered the kitchen was almost palpable it made the little, fair hairs on her arms stand up and she felt a slight shiver of apprehension run down her spine; Buffy always knew when her mother wanted to 'talk'.

“Hi Mom!” Buffy announced her presence cheerily as she headed for the breakfast bar.

“Oh, hi honey,” Joyce turned slightly, to look at her oldest daughter, a cup of coffee held inches from her lips, “I didn't hear you come down stairs.”

“Sneaky Buffy, that's me,” Buffy joked; her mother still didn't know that her 'big girl' was the slayer; after all why should she? Nothing much had happened since The Others had arrived to help give away her secret.

“You're not 'sneaky',” Joyce replied, “but, you were always light on your feet, its a pity you didn't keep up your dance classes.”

“You're totally seeing me through 'Mom tinted glasses' again,” Buffy said as she poured cereal into a bowl, “I'm too short to be a professional dancer and you wouldn't want me to be an unprofessional dancer would you?”

“Of course not,” Joyce sipped her coffee as she watched Buffy slice a banana over her cereal before adding milk.

“What?” Buffy asked as her spoon headed for her mouth.

“Nothing,” Joyce tried to sound as if she hadn't got a care in the world, when in reality she was incredibly worried for her daughter with graduation less than four months away.

“Mom,” Buffy said around a mouthful of cereal and banana, “I've known you since I was born and I totally know when something's bugging you, so what's on your mind?”

In truth Buffy had a pretty good idea what was worrying her mother.

“Have you thought any more about getting pregnant...?” Joyce began but was soon interrupted by her daughter.

“Mom!” Buffy cried as a few crispy pops escaped her mouth to fly across the breakfast bar.

“I'm sure your friend Xander would do...” Joyce hesitated trying to find the right words.

“'Do me'? 'Knock me up'? Are those the phrases you're looking for?” Buffy tried not to snap but she couldn't help it.

“But Buffy,” Joyce put down her cup and looked earnestly at her daughter, “you know I love you and yes I do tend to see you through, 'mom tinted glasses',” her lips quirked into a small smile as she said the phrase, “But its because I love you that I'm going to have to say what needs to be said...” Joyce paused for a moment, “...you're grades just aren't good enough to guarantee you making 'the cut'...”

“They're borderline,” Buffy corrected.

“Alright then they're 'borderline',” Joyce agreed reluctantly, “but that's not the same as 'guaranteed'...” for a moment Joyce couldn't meet her daughters eyes, “...I don't want to lose you Buffy,” she said quietly, “neither does Dawn...I'm sure Xander will...” again Joyce hesitated, “...'do' you as you put it, he seems a nice boy and you've known him ever since we moved here,” now the floodgates were open it was as if Joyce couldn't stop herself speaking, “I mean isn't he the father of Willow's child and I wouldn't mind helping out when the baby arrives and Dawn would love to baby sit and...”

“Breathe!” Buffy interrupted the 'Mom-babble'.

“What!?”

“I said 'breathe', Mom, you were starting to turn blue,” Buffy watched her mother as her crispy-pops slowly stopped being crispy; she knew she had to tell her mother something. “Look, Mom,” Buffy reached across the breakfast bar and took one of her mother's hands in her own, “I know you're worried and I know I've got to make a decision about this soon, but...” Buffy's eyes fell on a plastic container of small, white pills, “What are those pills Mom,” Buffy gave her mother a worried frown, “you're not ill are you?”

“Actually they're for you,” Joyce pushed the pills across the bar top towards Buffy, “they're to help you get pregnant.”

“Mom!?” Buffy didn't know whether to laugh or cry, “Fertility pills? Like ewww!?”

“Yes,” Joyce admitted, “I thought...”

“Look,” Buffy sighed heavily as she picked up the little container of pills, “I'll make a deal with you, okay?”

“Okay,” Joyce nodded her head eager to hear what her daughter would say.

“It's Tuesday now,” Buffy explained, “I promise to have made my decision and tell you what I'm going to do by Friday night.” Buffy took a deep breath, “Having a kid's a big step to take...”

“So's risking being taken...” Joyce pointed out.

Just at that moment, Buffy really wanted to down half a dozen of those pills while her mom made arrangements for Xander to come 'visit'. But she didn't, there was something holding her back, instead she squeezed her mother's hand and looked deeply into her eyes.

“And its my decision to make,” Buffy added softly, “I promise I'll tell you what I've decided on Friday night, okay?”

“Okay,” Joyce agreed reluctantly.

“Oooh,” Buffy looked down at her bowl, “my crispy-pops have gone all soggy.”

0=0=0=0

Standing just outside the kitchen doorway, Dawn quietly sniffed back her tears and wiped her eyes with a screwed up tissue. Having heard most of the conversation between her mom and her sister, Dawn really hoped Buffy would make the 'right' choice. Like her mom had said, she wouldn't complain about baby sitting to let her sister go out and having a baby in the house might be fun. Dawn started to cry again at the thought of losing her big sister. If she was 'taken' the house would be so empty and who would she share all her secrets with? Who would she talk to about boys and girl stuff? She'd be alone and Buffy would be _gone_ , forever, like she was dead, deep down Dawn knew that she and her mom wouldn't be able to deal with that. Taking another tissue from her school bag, Dawn wiped her eyes and blew her nose before heading on into the kitchen.

“Hi again Dawnie!” Buffy called happy to see her sister properly awake.

“Hi...” Dawn replied as she tried to keep her head down so no one would see her red eyes.

“Hey!” Joyce turned to look at her youngest, “Are you alright, sweetheart? Your eyes are all red, have you got a cold or something?”

“No,” Dawn forced a smile, “I'm fine...just a little hey-fever is all.”

That was odd, Buffy thought, it wasn't the time of year for hay-fever.

0=0=0=0

These days Buffy always waited for Willow before going to school. Last year there'd been a couple of girls who'd been attacked and beaten so badly that they'd miscarried and ended up being 'taken'. she wasn't going to let that happen to Willow. Buffy always told herself, that although there wasn't much point being the slayer these days, she could still use her powers to protect those she loved from mortals who wished them ill. It wasn't just other students that she had to watch out for, some of the parent's of kids who were on the cusp of being 'taken' could be pretty mean as well.

“Hello, Ms Rosenberg!” Buffy called brightly as she entered the Rosenberg's kitchen through the back door.

“Hi Bunny!” Ms Rosenberg called back; she seemed completely incapable of getting Buffy's name right; but Buffy didn't really mind, 'Bunny' sounded cute. “Willow'll be down in a minute,” Sheila Rosenberg said as she walked across the kitchen and smiled at Buffy, “Can I get you anything? Tea? Juice?”

“Erm, no thanks, I'm totally fine,” Buffy declined the offer politely, “I've just had breakfast...” possibly the most embarrassing breakfast _ever_ , she added to herself.

“Hi Buffy,” Willow called as she...well, she didn't exactly waddle, she was still only about five or six months along, but it was getting to the point when you knew Willow was entering a room long before she actually arrived.

“Hey, Willow,” Buffy's greeting smile slipped from her face when she saw how pale Willow looked, “Are you like sure you're well enough to go to school?”

“Just a touch of morning sickness,” Willow groaned slightly as she sat down on one of the chairs at the breakfast table.

“Still!?” Buffy gasped, she'd always been under the impression that morning sickness only lasted through the first couple of months of a pregnancy.

“Yes,” Sheila Rosenberg explained, “it was the same for me when I was carrying Willow...”

“Mom!” Willow interrupted her mother before she could go into a long and detailed description of every ailment she'd suffered from when she was pregnant with Willow; Jewish mothers, who'd have them? “I'm sure Buffy doesn't want to hear about all that.”

“No!” Buffy shook her head and gave Willow an impish grin, “It all sounds fascinating and I'd love to hear more some time, but now Willow and I should be getting off to school.”

“Oh, come around anytime, Bunny,” Sheila Rosenberg said with a grin as she passed Willow her school bag, “I'll tell you all about it!”

“Mom!” Willow growled warningly over her shoulder as she followed Buffy out of the door.

0=0=0=0

There were no incidents as Buffy escorted Willow to school, they did however pick up a tail as they neared Sunnydale High. Buffy recognised several guys from the senior year who weren't expected to make 'the cut'. They followed Buffy and Willow staying fifty or sixty yards behind them and then scattered when Buffy turned to confront them.

“Don't bother, Buffy,” Willow held on to Buffy's arm preventing her from chasing after the guys, “it's not really their fault.”

“I know, Will,” Buffy sighed heavily as she turned to continue her walk with Willow, “it's all The Others' fault...but you totally know what they'll do to you if they catch you alone?”

“Yeah I know,” Willow replied sombrely before taking extra tight hold of Buffy's arm, Willow grinned at her friend, “that's why I always stay near you! That and because I like you and you always smell nice and...”

“Willow,” Buffy warned, “like less with the babble think of the baby.”

There were a lot of people and that didn't just mean the guys who were going to fail 'the cut'; there were their parents, a few politicians and even some cults, that didn't like the 'girl's way out'. Some States had tried to introduce quotas so equal numbers of boys and girls got 'taken'. But it didn't work, there'd always be some guy willing to get an eighteen year old girl pregnant. Then all they had to do was cross over the State line to avoid any punishment the State Legislature could think up. To be honest anything short of death was preferable to being 'taken'. Of course, The Others didn't seem to mind or care whether equal numbers of boys or girls were taken, they just took.

So a lot of people were taking matters into their own hands, girls who got pregnant to avoid being taken ran the risk of being attacked. The idea wasn't to kill, it was to make the girl miscarry. The rules were pretty clear, a girl who was unlikely to make the cut only got a 'pass' if she was pregnant or already had a new born by graduation time. Girls who miscarried before graduation stood a better than average chance of being taken. After all, how well would you do on a test if you'd been beaten until you'd miscarried? 

“Hi Buffy...Willow!” Xander called, he and Cordelia stood waiting on the steps leading up to Sunnydale High's main entrance.

“Hi Buffy,” Cordelia smiled, but her face fell a little as she greeted Willow, “oh, hello Willow.”

“Cordy,” Willow nodded to Cordelia before turning her full intention to Xander, “Hi Xan, how's my baby-daddy?”

Buffy caught the daggers look Cordelia was giving Willow and the worried look Xander gave Cordy.

“Me-ow,” Buffy whispered in Willow's ear, “and a saucer of milk for my friend.” 

“I'm fine,” Xander replied as Cordelia took a really strong hold on his arm.

So, Buffy noted to herself, Cordelia wants Xander back, she wasn't surprised; Cordy was nearly seven months gone and rumour had it her parents weren't overly happy about the fact. No doubt, Cordy was looking for a protector. Even after graduation, girls weren't safe, they were in danger of being hurt, even killed by the friends and family of people who'd been taken. Sighing sadly, Buffy told herself that the world had really turned to crap ever since The Others had arrived.

“Everything okay with you guys?” Buffy wanted to know, “No trouble or anything?”

“Everything's fine,” Xander confirmed, “you?”

“We were followed for a while,” Willow piped up, “but Buffy growled at them and they ran away!”

“I _so_ did not growl,” Buffy tried to explain, “I sorta glared, definitely no growl-age.”

“Erm guys,” Cordelia called nervously, “don't you think we're a little exposed out here? I know Buffy's all slayery an'all, but that won't help if there's a drive by.” 

Drive by shootings outside schools (although rare) weren't just a hazard for inner city kids any more. Some sick people and cults thought it was better for teenagers to die here on Earth rather than be taken.

“Yeah,” Buffy looked up and down the street but saw nothing suspicious, “Cordy's right, lets go inside.”

Walking up the steps the three friends, plus Cordy, headed for the safety of the school and the armed security officers the School Board had hired to try and keep any violence out of the school buildings.

“Library?” Buffy asked as they headed down the corridor.

“Better,” Willow agreed, “I wanna check Xander's homework.”

Ever since Willow had been tutoring Xander almost fulltime and Xander had actually been applying himself, he'd been getting regular 'C' plus's and even a few 'B' minus's. Willow was fairly confident that Xander would now make the cut and wouldn't be taken. This was something Cordelia was actually grateful to Willow for (although she'd never admit it), despite the two young women's apparent rivalry over the possession of one Xander Harris. Turning into the corridor that led to the Library, the four teens came face to face with seven mean looking youths each of whom held a baseball bat in their hands. There might be security on the doors, but at this time of day there was no one patrolling the corridors, Buffy would have to deal with this herself.

0=0=0=0


	3. Chapter 3

3.

**Sunnydale High.**

“This doesn't concern you, Summers.”

Buffy recognised the speaker as Bobby Hayes, he'd been on the swim team at about the same time as Xander and he was one of Buffy's ex-boyfriends; at first he'd seemed nice enough but their relationship had crashed and burnt when he'd wanted Buffy to do some really 'icky' stuff.

“Or you, Xander,” Hayes added as he fingered his baseball bat nervously, “just walk away man.”

“Sorry Bobby I can't do that,” Xander replied sadly as he came to stand next to Buffy.

“When did you get all like manly and brave?” Buffy whispered.

“Got fed up with running away, Buff,” Xander shrugged.

“Way to go Xan,” Buffy smiled, “look after the girls...”

“W-what...!?” Xander didn't have a chance to say anything more because Buffy had already started to move; stepping up to Bobby Hayes, she planted her right hand in the middle of his chest and pushed. “And I'm still not going to give you a blow-job!” she announced as Bobby flew through the air to land on his back about five yards further down the corridor.

Turning on the ball of her left foot, Buffy kicked out with her right catching a guy from the basket ball team in the stomach. The youth, she couldn't even remember his name, grunted loudly as he fell to the floor. Turning like a spinning top, she was just in time to disarm and knock unconscious another guy who was about to try and brain her with his bat. Bouncing on the balls of her feet Buffy congratulated herself on taking down three of the attackers in as many seconds...and she'd not even killed anyone...yet. Buffy's final opponent pulled a knife from his pocket, he smiled unpleasantly as he flicked the knife open and started to advance on her.

“There's always one,” Buffy sighed quietly as she moved in to disarm the knife wielding senior.

Caught flat footed by Buffy's sudden attack, Xander had to back peddle so he was in position to put himself between the girls and the guys who wanted to preform unsanctioned abortions on them. There were three guys facing him, Xander threw a punch and knocked one down. For a moment he stood there trying to shake some feeling back into his hand; Buffy had been right, a normal person should never punch someone in the jaw, it wasn't like in the movies...it hurt! As his first opponent fell to the floor he saw the other two guys going for Willow and Cordy. One guy pushed Willow to the floor while the other punched Cordy in the stomach. Cordelia moved her arms to protect her belly but she was too slow and the blow hit home. Crying out in pain she fell to the corridor floor. As soon as she was down the two guys moved in on her and started to kick her unmercifully. Luckily Cordelia managed to curl into as small a ball as her bulging tummy would allow.

“CORDY!” Xander cried as he leapt on one of her attackers.

Wrapping his left arm around the guy's neck, Xander placed his knee in the small of his back and pulled him backwards. Unbalanced, Cordy's attacker fell to the ground. Letting go of his victim, Xander kicked him in the head and reached for the other guy who was still kicking Cordy. However, he never got to hit the guy. Coming in from Xander's right Buffy tackled the guy and knocked him to the ground. Sitting astride his chest, Buffy started to pummel him into submission, she didn't stop until a couple of security guards turned up and pulled her off him. Just for a fraction of a second, Xander was conflicted as to who he should comfort first, Willow or Cordy? He made up his mind quickly.

“Cordy!” Xander was kneeling on the floor next to Cordelia, “Are you alright?”

“Of course I'm not alright, you dope,” Cordelia snapped back, however her words belied her actions as she took hold of Xander's hand and held on to it like she wasn't ever going to let go, “Get me an ambulance...please.”

“Willow!” Buffy squatted down next to her friend, “Are you hurt, is the baby okay?”

“I'll live,” Willow pushed herself into a sitting position, “I'll be fine, they just knocked me down...”

Looking around Buffy, Willow saw Xander comforting Cordelia; in that instant she knew she'd lost him forever. Yeah, they could still be friends but nothing more. Examining these thoughts while Buffy fussed over her, Willow realised she didn't mind, she and Xander had been growing apart for some time and it was almost a relief to find she didn't feel so bad about it.

“I love you Buffy,” Willow said as she looked up into her friend's concerned face.

“Ooookay,” Buffy drew the word out and looked worried, “so, what brought that on...not that its not totally nice to hear, but...”

“I just thought it needed to be said, is all,” Willow explained.

“And you 'love' me coz we're like best friends, right?” Buffy felt she needed to clarify what Willow meant by 'love'.

“Oh yeah,” Willow nodded as Buffy helped her to her feet, “just coz we're friends...”

“What's going on here?” Giles demanded as he ran down the corridor from the direction of the library.

“It's okay, Giles,” Buffy turned away from Willow for a moment, “everything's under control...”

“You speak for yourself!” Cordy cried from where she was still sitting on the floor holding Xander's hand.

“...I'll explain...” Buffy began.

0=0=0=0

It was lunch time before Buffy got to see Giles and was able to explain what had happened. Willow had been taken to the nurse's office where the school nurse checked her out. Finding nothing seriously wrong the nurse had still phoned Mrs Rosenberg and had her come and take Willow home. Cordy had been put into an ambulance and taken to hospital, significantly Xander had gone along with her. He'd called Giles later and told him to tell everyone that both Cordy and the baby were fine and he was staying with Cordelia because her parents hadn't shown up yet.

The security guards had handed Bobby Hayes and his friends over to Sunnydale PD who'd taken them away, no doubt to be charged with assault and locked up until their parents came to collect them. Principal Snyder had questioned Buffy, as she seemed to be the only witness not under arrest or in hospital at that moment. For a change Snyder displayed an almost human side of his nature. He didn't accuse Buffy of starting the fight (normally one of his favourite hobbies) and he seemed to be taking Buffy's account of the incident as gospel. He even thanked her for her quick thinking and saving Willow and Cordelia from more serious injury. Buffy reasoned that he was probably worried about law suits. By the time Buffy left Snyder's office she was seriously wondering if The Others hadn't kidnapped the real Principal Snyder and replaced him with some sort of 'fluffy bunny' version of the little troll-man who'd ruled over Sunnydale High like a tinpot dictator. Shrugging her shoulders and being thankful for small mercies, Buffy headed on out of Snyder's office before turning her feet towards the library.

0=0=0=0

“Tea?” Giles asked as Buffy sat down in his little office just off the main library; these days they couldn't use the library proper for their meetings, it was always full of students studying.

“No thanks Giles,” Buffy replied slightly distracted, her head was full of troubling thoughts.

“I'd like to be able to tell you not to worry,” Giles said as he fussed about making his tea, “but I'm afraid this sort of thing is going to happen a lot more often the closer we get to graduation.”

“You think?” Buffy couldn't help but sound worried.

“I'm afraid so,” Giles stood watching his kettle boil, “last year was bad enough...”

“I remember,” Buffy agreed; the previous year there'd been several assaults on pregnant girls but nothing quite as bad as what had happened this morning.

“But this year's going to be worse,” Giles sighed heavily as the water boiled and he poured it into his teapot, “Principal Snyder's thinking of separating the male and female students...”

“Can he do that?” Buffy wanted to know.

“I don't know, but it might be the only way to stop these attacks, at least in school,” Giles explained as he absently stirred his tea leaves around his pot, “I've heard rumours that the School Board might segregate the sexes in High School for their senior year.”

“You mean send girls to one school and the guys to another?”

“Yes,” Giles poured milk into his teacup as he waited for the tea to brew, “it happening else where, Britain, Europe, Japan, all over really.”

“Giles...” Buffy's face was set in a thoughtful frown, “...exactly what do we know about The Others?”

“Very little, I'm afraid,” Giles poured his tea, “in fact almost nothing...no one, as far as we know, has even seen them. They appear to be possessed of almost magical powers...”

“But it's not magic, right?” Buffy asked, “They're not like demons or wizards or whatever?”

“As far as the Council has been able to ascertain, The Others are not 'supernatural', all their powers appear to be technological not mystical in origin...”

“Way to keep your options open there Giles,” Buffy smiled at her watcher.

“Well yes,” Giles nodded as he sipped his tea, “but the Council has been studying The Others since they arrived and they're almost certain that they're not some kind of hellish threat.”

“'Almost certain'?” Buffy scoffed, “Come on, its not like they've got anything else to do these days.”

“Well yes...” Giles admitted; about six months after The Others took over every demon on the planet had disappeared while at the same time all the Hellmouths had suddenly gone inactive, “...I suppose you're right.”

“Okay, so what do The Others want?” Buffy asked earnestly, “Why are they here?”

“Well,” Giles took a moment to order his thoughts as he wondered why Buffy was asking these questions, “on the face of it they want eighteen year old teenagers...”

“But why?”

“Unknown,” Giles admitted as he took another contemplative sip of tea, swallowing he started to talk through the problem, “Every year there are about seven-hundred-million eighteen year olds world wide...”

“Wow,”Buffy gasped, “I never knew there were that many.”

“These are only rough figures, you understand,” Giles pointed out.

“Oh, of course,” Buffy grinned at her watcher.

“Of these seven-hundred-million,” Giles continued ignoring Buffy's obvious amusement, “The Others take a total of thirty percent.”

“The dumbest twenty-five percent and the brightest five percent,” Buffy confirmed.

“That comes to approximately one-hundred-and-forty-seven million, equivalent to about half the total population of the United States.”

“Again I say, 'Wow'!” Buffy paused for a moment, “So, the question before the panel is...what do The Others want with one-hundred-and-forty-seven-million eighteen year olds, every year?” 

“Well its not actually one-hundred-and-forty-seven-million every year,” Giles pointed out, “Having that many teenagers removed every year will eventually have an effect on the world's population unless people start to have bigger families to make up for the, for want of a better word, casualties.”

“Okay so the law of diminishing returns starts to come into play...”

“Diminishing returns?” it was Giles' turn to smirk, “Where did you learn phrases like that? Not that I'm not pleased.”

“Oh it was probably something Willow said,” Buffy frowned at the thought of what Willow had said about 'loving' her, “Hey, Giles have you noticed anything odd about Willow recently?”

“In what way?”

“Oh, I...” Buffy stopped herself from saying anything more, anyway she was probably just imagining it, “Oh nothing, it doesn't matter, it's probably hormones...okay diminishing returns right?”

“Erm, what? Maybe...” Giles was a little confused, “...hormones?”

“We still don't know what The Others want with all these people, I mean they can't just kill them.”

“Unlikely,” Giles agreed, “if that was the case I find it unlikely that they'd go through with this fiction of the SATs every year, they'd just kill whoever they wanted.”

“Hold on Giles,” Buffy looked at her watcher with new found interest, “'fiction'?”

“Oh I thought you knew.”

“Knew what Giles?”

“Let me explain...”

“I wish you would.”

“You see the Others don't care about the SATs or whatever other test governments put their eighteen year olds through. The business of taking the 'dumbest twenty-five percent and the brightest five percent' is probably all balderdash too.”

“Huh?” Buffy grunted.

“Its all a fiction, a fallacy to give people the idea that there's a way to stop themselves from being taken,” Giles explained, “Let me put it like this, if everyone scored between ninety and a hundred percent on the test The Others would still take the bottom twenty-five percent and the top five percent, or alternatively, whoever they want...we just don't know enough to come to any firm conclusions.”

“So it doesn't really matter how well or how badly you do in the tests,” Buffy mused, “you still always stand a chance of being taken?”

“Yes,” Giles nodded his head, “unless of course you're pregnant or have a new born.”

“Why do you think that is?” Buffy wanted to know.

“It's just good animal husbandry,” Giles shrugged indicating that it was just one more thing people didn't know about The Others, “don't remove the healthy, breeding females.”

“Not a nice thought,” Buffy replied as she realised that she was a 'healthy breeding female', “but we still don't have any idea why they take people in the first place...” Buffy gave the question some thought “...maybe they're building an army, after all its mostly guys that end up going.”

“An army?” Giles shook his head, “The Others don't seem to be like a race that needs an army of slave soldiers.”

“Okay, if not an army what about a workforce?”

“Again,” Giles shrugged, “I can't see why someone so obviously advanced as The Others would need a workforce. I'd have thought everything they needed would be built in robot factories or maybe grown...you know? And another thing, The Others haven't stopped any Earthly research and development, I really don't think they care what we do or try to do, we're simply not a threat to them.”

“So what does that leave us with?” Buffy asked despondently.

“I really couldn't say,” Giles admitted, “there is always still the possibility that they do just kill everyone. After all the top five percent of students would be the research scientists, the captains of industry, the innovators, people like that. With the top five percent being taken every year, after a while humanity would be working with 'second best'.”

“And the dumbest?” Buffy wanted to hear Giles opinion on that.

“Who's to know?” Giles shrugged, “Perhaps they're used as play things like gladiators in ancient Rome...or maybe they simply eat them.”

“Jeez,” Buffy screwed up her face in disgust, “I'd never let myself be used as a gladiator...or eaten.”

“Gladiatrix,” Giles corrected, “you'd be a gladiatrix, a female gladiator.”

“Well thank-you Giles, the man who knows everything.”

“I live to serve,” Giles smiled.

“So,” Buffy took a deep breath, “basically we know nothing about who The Others are, what their motives are and why they take all these eighteen year olds, right?”

“Yes,” Giles agreed, “however, the not knowing might be part of the way they keep us under control, fear of the unknown and the like.”

“Correct,” Buffy concurred, “so, we need to find out what's going on...”

“Of course, there's been many attempts, but all of them have failed in the face of 'The Others' unwillingness to communicate and their total indifference to anything we do or say.”

“Right, so what we need is some first hand information, we need someone to 'boldly go' and find out what's happening and come back to Earth and tell everyone what's going on,” Buffy suggested.

“That would probably be the best solution, but...” Giles looked at Buffy in shock at what he knew she was about to suggest, “...no Buffy, I won't allow it!”

“And you'll stop me how?” Buffy asked innocently, “Look Giles I don't want to do this but I can't see another way...I'm supposed to be this great protector, like the 'warrior of the people', one girl in all the world, blah-blah. But, there's nothing left for me to fight, no vamps, no demons, just The Others.”

“But...!”

“I'm going to deliberately fail my SATs and try to get The Others to take me!” As she spoke the words, Buffy wondered how she was going to tell her Mom and Dawn.

0=0=0=0


	4. Chapter 4

4.

**Thursday, Cordelia's Home.**

These days Cordelia hardly even saw her parents let alone talked to them. The previous day the hospital had told her she could go home as long as she rested and didn't do anything strenuous. If it hadn't been for Xander swinging by after school to visit, she'd have had to walk home. Instead he'd taken her home in a cab and walked her to her front door before heading off home himself. Once home again, if it hadn't been for Mrs Flores, the cook, and Maria, the live in maid, there'd have been no one to welcome her back.

Fussing over her, Mrs Flores had made Cordy some of her favourite treats while Maria got her into bed and made sure she was comfortable. Neither her mother or her father had even looked in on her when they'd come home that evening, it'd been Maria who'd sat with her until Cordy had told the young woman she didn't have to stay-up and she should go to bed. Even then Maria was reluctant to leave 'Missy Cordy' and Cordelia had had to insist.

In the morning, Cordy had lain in bed thinking about her life and what was going to happen to her. By letting Xander get her pregnant she'd screwed up her parent's plans for her. None of the young men her parents had thought would make a good husband for their daughter would look at her now. Not while she had the child of a no account, menial like Xander Harris to hold her back. Even so Cordy felt that if her parents would just speak to Xander (they wouldn't even let him in the house), maybe they'd see what she'd seen in him.

Eventually, Cordy got up, showered and dressed and went down for breakfast. Walking into the dinning room, she was shocked to see both her parents still sitting eating their breakfasts. However, her father didn't even come out from behind his newspaper and her mother gave her a disdainful look. It was full of bitterness and anger that her plans for her daughter had been ruined because Cordy had opened her legs for the likes of Xander Harris.

“So you're back,” Cordy's mother commented coldly between sips of her coffee, “I hope we're not going to get a massive bill from the hospital at the end of the month.”

“Hi Mom,” Cordy said with false jollity, as she helped herself to breakfast, “yeah I'm back and no I don't think you'll be getting a 'massive bill' from the hospital. If you'd bothered to check,” she added bitterly, “you'd have seen I wasn't even in for twenty-four hours.”

“Hmmm,” Cordy's mom replied coldly, there by indicating that their conversation was at an end.

Sitting in silence as she ate, Cordelia was relieved when her parent's got up and left, she then sighed a great sigh of relief as she heard the front door open and close as her parents went to work. As soon as the coast was clear, Mrs Flores appeared demanding to know what Cordelia thought she was doing by getting up. Telling Cordy that either herself or Maria would have taken her breakfast up to her room, Mrs Flores was shocked to the core when she heard that Cordy intended to go to school that day.

“Mrs Flores,” Cordelia smiled at the short, rotund Mexican woman, “I can't stay here all day I'd go insane.”

“Well,” Mrs Flores shrugged, “if I can't make you stay home, at least I can make sure you go to school with a proper packed lunch.”

Muttering in Spanish, Mrs Flores headed back to her kitchen only to reappear a couple of minutes later with a large, heavy looking, brown paper bag.

“Here,” she placed the bag on the table next to Cordy, “I thought you might want to go to school so I made you a little something...”

“A little?” Cordy tested the weight of the bag, from the feel of it there was enough food to last her two or three days.

“...and you make sure you eat it all,” Mrs Flores reached out and stroked Cordy's hair, just like Cordelia always imagined a real, loving, mother might, “you're all skin and bone and you're eating for two, si?”

0=0=0=0

With her 'lunch' safely packed away in her school bag, Cordelia called 'goodbye' to Mrs Flores and Maria before stepping outside into the bright Californian sunshine. The first thing she saw was Xander Harris standing at the end of the drive waiting for her.

“X-Xander...” Cordy's voice broke into a sob at the sight of him and the tears started to roll down her cheeks, “...damn hormones,” she muttered angrily as she made her way over to him; throwing her arms around his neck she hugged him fiercely, “Oh god Xander I'm so glad you're here!”

“Obviously I've done something right for a change,” Xander wrapped his arms around Cordy and returned her hug; this little greeting ritual was getting slightly more difficult everyday because everyday there was just a little more of Cordy to greet, “I take it you're pleased to see me?”

“Of course I'm pleased to see you, dummy,” Cordy increased the strength of her hug as she clung on to Xander, taking a deep breath she asked, “Can I be your girlfriend again?”

“W-WHAT!?” this wasn't something Xander had expected to hear, like, _ever_.

“I want to be your girlfriend again,” Cordy repeated as she loosened her death grip on Xander for a moment. “I know you cheated on me with Willow but I sorta understand that now, I mean you've known Willow like forever and it was bound to happen eventually but when we broke up I realised how much I loved you and if I was your girlfriend again you could have sex with me whenever you wanted, I won't complain and I'll try to be good and...”

“Hold it before you faint from lack of oxygen,” Xander was seriously wondering if it was some thing about Sunnydale that enabled all the girls he knew to babble like that, “Lets back up there for a moment...you want to be my girlfriend again? You do remember that _I_ cheated on _you_ , right?”

“Uh-huh,” Cordy nodded as she looked hopefully up into his eyes, “you're totally forgiven.”

“I am?” Xander had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

One of Xander's best qualities was his ability to realise when he'd been a complete jerk, unfortunately he usually realised it far too late for him to do anything about it. But, he had tried to apologies to Cordy and after a while they had got back to more or less 'friendly' relations with each other, however, he'd never imagined that she'd take him back.

“I'm desperate Xander,” Cordy sniffed back her tears; she'd sort of promised herself she wouldn't try to manipulate him into taking her back, that would be 'wrong', she wouldn't guilt him into getting back together, “and I realise now I love you and...” the old, not so desperate Cordy came back for a visit as she glanced back at her house, “...and I've simply got to get out of that hell hole...”

“Ah,” Xander nodded at he started to steer Cordy towards school, “I take it you can't stand your parents any more, I can understand that and welcome to the club by the way, but...”

“But...?” Cordy wondered if maybe she'd given Xander the idea that she only wanted to be his girlfriend again so she could get away from home.

“But,” Xander repeated, “if I were to take you back as my full time, live in, girlfriend where would we live? I mean I don't think you'd want to live in my parent's basement...”

“Oh I don't, no,” Cordy replied with some feeling.

“...and I've not got that much money to get somewhere to live and support the pair of us...and a baby,” Xander pointed out.

“I have!” Cordy explained, “If money's what you're worried about I've got loads of it and all in my name too so my parents or the IRS can't get their greedy hands on it!”

“Huh?”

“I've got my college fund, which I won't be using now,” Cordy stroked her belly as she spoke, “it'll be enough for us to get a place and keep us going until after graduation when you can get a job.”

“Get a job?” Xander said with increasing uncertainly.

“There's a growing labour shortage,” Cordy remembered this from reading the business pages of her father's newspaper, “you'll get a job easy.”

“Like what?”

“Oh, I don't know,” Cordy sighed as she walked along beside Xander, “they say there's good money to be made in construction...” Cordy grinned, “...and I seem to remember you're good with your hands.”

“But I don't know the first thing about construction!” it took Xander a moment to register the comment about him being good with his hands, by the time he did Cordy was already speaking again.

“Plenty of time to learn,” Cordelia informed him, “with my smarts and your muscle,” Cordy squeezed Xander's biceps, “we'll make it.”

“Oh!” feeling just a little stunned, Xander realised he'd suddenly acquired a girlfriend, an unborn child and a possible career in construction.

“And I meant what I said about the sex,” Cordelia added quietly, “and I promise not to nag...at least not much but...”

“But...?” Xander didn't like the cold menacing tone that had suddenly entered Cordy's voice.

“If you ever cheat on me again, with anyone, I'll _never_ forgive you, okay?”

“O-okay,” Xander stammered; wasn't there a saying about hell having no fury like a Cordelia Chase and if there wasn't there should be.

“Great!” Cordy was all smiles again in an instant, “Now, should we wait to get married until after baby-Harris is born or do it before?”

0=0=0=0

**Giles' Library.**

“You know there are cults that have started up since The Others arrived who believe that, The Others are agents of some god or other and The Taken actually go to some sort of paradise?” Giles asked as Buffy helped him put books back on their shelves.

“A little like that 'rapture' thing?” Buffy asked just to show she was listening.

“Yes,” Giles slipped another book into its place, “something like that. They even take their children out of school so they won't pass the local equivalent of the SATs.”

Ever since The Others had turned up, Giles' job as school librarian had got a lot busier. What with all the students actually using the library to study in and withdraw books from. However, Giles didn't really mind because now there were no monsters to research he didn't have very much else to do. The extra workload in the library had enabled him to convince Principal Snyder to let him take on two student assistants to help him. Now Willow and Buffy helped out during their breaks and free periods for 'extra credit'. Not that that would stop either of them being taken but it might help them get into a good college if they weren't.

But of course, Giles suddenly remembered, Buffy was going to deliberately try to be taken. The more Giles thought about it the more he became convinced that the way The Others chose people to be taken was pretty arbitrary, within certain limits, if he knew exactly how The Others chose who to take maybe he could... Abruptly another thought struck Giles, there was one certain way to make sure Buffy wouldn't be taken; Buffy wouldn't be taken if she was pregnant. The next question was, how do you get a slayer pregnant if she doesn't want to get pregnant? The answer was surprisingly simple. At the back of Giles' hall closet was a box containing several mystical potions that could be used to 'control' or incapacitate a slayer. All watchers through-out history had had them, but very few had ever felt the need to use them.

A plan formed in Giles' mind; he could invite Buffy back to his apartment on the pretext of discussing what she'd do once she was taken. He'd offer her something, then slip one of the powerful tranquillisers into her drink, she'd fall asleep and then he could...? He could do what? Rape her while she was asleep? No, he couldn't do that...or could he? Doing something like that would destroy his relationship with Buffy, but at least she'd be alive. He doubted that Mrs Summers would be overly upset, from what he understood, Joyce Summers was terrified that she'd lose her 'little girl' to The Others.

Perhaps...perhaps if he got Mrs Summers involved in some way, perhaps if he got the support of all of Buffy's friends and family, she'd eventually realise that they'd only done it because they loved her and didn't want to lose her. All thoughts about the forceful impregnation of Buffy Summers fled from Giles' mind when Xander and Cordelia burst noisily into the library. Frowning at the amount of outward affection Cordelia appeared to be showing towards Xander, Giles turned to look at the young couple.

“Shall I tell them?” Cordelia asked Xander before carrying straight on with whatever it was she was going to tell, “Xander and I are getting married!” Cordelia laughed, “Isn't that so cool!?”

'Cool', wasn't how exactly how Giles would have described himself just now, numbed, shocked out of his mind, totally dismayed; any of these would have described his feeling so much more accurately.

“Oh how wonderful,” Giles said to himself as he went to congratulate the happy bride to be and the shell shocked prospective groom.

0=0=0=0

Stepping out of the girl's restroom and into the corridor, Buffy smiled and tried not to giggle at the thought of Cordy and Xander getting married. Sobering a little, she realised that the chances were she wouldn't be there for the 'marriage of the year' as the happy couple were waiting until after graduation to tie the knot. They would, however, be moving in together as soon as they found somewhere to live.

“Wow!” Buffy said softly, “It's almost like they're real adults!”

In that moment it hit Buffy that she'd miss all this. With no monsters to worry about she could have expected a long life, a career, marriage, a family of her own; she could be what she'd always wanted to be, 'normal'. All she had to do was ask Xander to share her bed for half an hour or so, she doubted Cordy would mind. Once she was 'knocked up' she could get on with her life and never worry about The Others again.

But...

But, her duty as 'The Slayer' was holding her back. All she had to do was lie back, open her legs and let 'One Shot Harris' do his thing. But that was too simple for Buffy Summers, she had to complicate her life by going off on some impossible crusade to save humanity. With all these thoughts going through her head, she didn't notice the four guys coming up behind her until after they'd started their attack; Bobby Hayes and at least part of his crew were out of jail and looking for payback.

They never got it, okay yes they got in a few hits before Buffy realised what was happening and dealt with them. About thirty seconds after the first punch was thrown, the last punch hit home and Buffy stood triumphant, surrounded by the unconscious forms of the four ex-jocks. For a moment she stood waiting to see if any of them would get up for round two, but when they all just lay there, she shrugged and started to step over the bodies. Freezing in mid-step she turned at the sound of Principal Snyder's voice.

“Miss Summers,” Snyder called as he pulled a two-way radio from his pocket, “my office...now!” Bringing the radio up to his lips he spoke again, “Security to corridor 'A' and call Sunnydale PD again, we've got some repeat customers for them.”

0=0=0=0


	5. Chapter 5

5.

**Thursday, Principal Snyder's Office.**

Turning slightly as she stood in front of Snyder's desk, Buffy watched in trepidation as the man himself walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

“Sit down Summers,” Snyder ordered as he crossed the room and sat down behind his desk, “you're not in any trouble, Hayes deserved everything he got...he's an idiot.”

“Right,” Buffy nodded thinking it was best to agree with everything Snyder said as he was acting in a strangely pleasant way, well at least 'pleasant' for him.

“I've been watching you Summers,” Snyder didn't look at Buffy, he was searching for something amongst the stacks of files on his desk, “Here we are,” he smiled as he pulled a thick file from the stack and placed it in front of himself, he looked up and watched Buffy for a moment before speaking again. “When the Mayor first gave me this job, he told me I was to watch you to make sure you and that weird English librarian didn't upset his plans,” Snyder sighed heavily, “As we both know the Mayor was trying to turn himself into some sort of snake-demon...but that didn't work out.”

Buffy sat in her chair with her mouth slightly open in shock, she'd never guessed that Snyder had been actively working for the Mayor.

“Close your mouth Summers, it makes you look even more stupid than you really are.”

Buffy's mouth snapped shut, she was pretty sure she'd just been insulted, but she decided to let it slide...for now.

“And we both know you're not actually _that_ stupid,” Snyder turned the pages of the file which Buffy realised must be her school records, he tapped a page with a finger nail, “whatever these may say...” Snyder paused for a moment, “...we both know you're special Summers,” Snyder smiled nastily at her, “and I mean 'special' in a good way. We both know what you were doing before The Others made everything that went 'bump in the night' go away and closed the Hellmouth...”

“You knew about the Hell...!?” Buffy didn't get a chance to finish what she was saying as Snyder interrupted her.

“Shut up Summers,” he said tiredly, “I'm talking now...now where was I? Oh, yes...you're special and both the school board and I believe the world would be a better place with you in it, rather than you being taken by The Others.”

“Does everyone know I'm the slayer?” Buffy demanded.

“Oh!” Snyder raised an eyebrow, “So that's what you call yourself...a little melodramatic don't you think...The Slayer?”

“I like it,” Buffy replied quietly and little more defensively than she'd intended.

“Be that as it may and whatever you and that creepy librarian call yourselves...” Snyder paused for a moment before looking Buffy straight in the eye, “...by the way, does Mr Giles have a secret name like 'Super Librarian' or some-such?”

“He's my 'Watcher',” Buffy admitted.

“Like I say...creepy,” Snyder started to look at Buffy's school records again and sighed heavily, “By the looks of these you'll be heading for parts unknown shortly after graduation...”

“But I was told I was borderline,” Buffy pointed out guessing that Snyder was looking at her grade point average.

“Sorry,” Snyder didn't sound in the least bit sorry, “but due to the high instance of pregnancies amongst the female students and suicides amongst the male students the low end percentage for The Taken has been creeping upward meaning...” Snyder sneered, “...the really stupid students have been killing themselves...”

“What?” Buffy gasped, she'd not heard anything about this; she'd noticed that some students had suddenly left school but she'd not known the reason why...until now.

“I know,” Snyder shrugged, “its terrible,” he didn't sound as if he thought it was 'terrible', “but the school board has managed to keep it quiet so don't tell anyone, alright?”

The Sunnydale School Board was a little like the Chinese Communist Party, they were unelected and controlled _everything,_ in Sunnydale.

“Yeah, sure,” Buffy was more than a little stunned.

“Of course the stupid girls, the Harmony Kendal's of this world have been doing what they'd probably have done anyway, falling onto their backs and opening their legs for the first sex-crazed, teenage, walking, testosterone bomb to walk by...” Snyder smiled even more nastily than he had before, “...how is Harris by the way?”

“Fine!” Buffy wondering if Snyder knew everything she and her friends had done and were doing.

“You see I know everything,” Snyder gloated, “anyway, as I was saying the school board and I both agree that it would be better if you weren't taken and as you look as if you're not going to make the cut...” Snyder paused as he opened a desk drawer, after searching around for a moment he placed a small plastic container of white pills on his desk in front of Buffy, “We suggest that you take those and go and 'make out' with your friend Harris.”

“Fertility pills?” Buffy said after examining the container and its pills for a moment, “You want Xander to get me pregnant?”

“Surprisingly it seems to be something he's good at, or so I'm told,” Snyder placed his elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers before leaning towards Buffy, “and unlike you his grades are good enough for him not to be taken.”

“Oh...!” Buffy replied in a very small voice; she felt slightly annoyed that Xander of all people was doing better academically than she was.

“Of course if you didn't want Harris to do it, perhaps you'd find it too embarrassing,” Snyder rested back in his chair, “I could probably find someone else...the graffiti in the male student's restrooms indicate you're quite popular in certain circles...some of the drawings show a surprising amount of talent and an eye for detail. I did offer to impregnate you myself...but the school board thought that would be 'inappropriate'.”

“Ewww!” Buffy ewww-ed with some feeling, “I never realised I was so popular.”

“Popular is a relative term, Summers” Snyder indicated that Buffy wasn't universally 'liked', “now run along and find Harris or whatever boy you want to 'knock you up'.”

Realising she'd been dismissed, Buffy picked up the bottle of pills and stumbled out into the corridor. Leaning against the wall, she told herself that had to be the strangest interview she'd ever had. Everyone appeared to want her to get pregnant and not be taken, the list of people who wanted her to breed seemed very long while the list of people who wanted her to at least try to save the world only had one name on it...hers.

0=0=0=0

**The Th-rim Mothership, High Earth Orbit.**

“We need to take more females,” R-Ekir announced as he walked into the spacious conference room.

“I beg your pardon...” D-Racip the only other being in the room asked as he looked up from his personal computer pad.

“I said we need to take more females,” R-Ekir repeated as he took a seat opposite D-Racip and made himself comfortable.

“Now why...?” D-Racip laughed as he remembered something, “...of course, you have an unhealthy interest in the human females.”

“I wouldn't call it 'unhealthy',” R-Ekir smiled, “you shouldn't knock what you've never tried. They're so...so...” for a moment he was lost for words, his own language didn't have quite the right word for the concept he was trying to put over, “...ah...the humans have a word for it...cute.”

“Cute?” D-Racip frowned.

“Yes 'cute',” R-Ekir repeated.

Looking at his pad, D-Racip checked the meaning of the word; cute, his pad came back with; cunning, attractive, precious, artful.

“I assume you mean the word in the 'attractive' sense?” D-Racip asked.

“But of course, my friend,” R-Ekir, smirked, “their primary and secondary sexual organs are so...” once again he searched for the right words, this time he found it in his own language, “...interesting and responsive, given the right stimulation.”

“You're disgusting,” D-Racip, “mating with these animals, its...” words failed him.

“Disgusting am I?” R-Ekir smirked, “Like I say, don't condemn what you've never tried,” he smiled at his fellow Director, “tell you what I'll do, when we pick up this year's batch I'll have a pretty one picked out for you, I'll have her conditioned and sent to your quarters then you can tell me I'm 'disgusting',” he laughed again, “After being conditioned they're so hard working, docile and eager to please.”

“But they're just animals,” D-Racip pointed out, “I just don't understand why you can't be satisfied with one of our own females.”

“Have you actually seen one of our own females recently?,” R-Ekir sneered, “Not only are they almost indistinguishable from us males, they also try to kill us before _and_ after mating! At least one of these little human females isn't likely to rip your head off after you've finished mating with her.”

Th-rim females tended to be bigger than the males and had an unpleasant tendency to try and kill the male after mating unless they were firmly tied down; they also outnumbered the males by two to one. R-Ekir often wondered how his race had survived long enough to reach the stars. Th-rim males were the innovators and discoverers, while Th-rim females, not to put too fine a point on it, were not only violent but also pretty stupid. They were so violent in fact that they had to be 'conditioned' before they could even be used as 'foot soldiers' in the Th-rim armed forces.

“I still think you're disgusting,” D-Racip replied but this time with a little less certainty, “I still say they're nothing more than animals.”

“No they are not!” R-Ekir sprang to the defence of humanity, “The Science Directorate clearly stated that the Humans are sentient and may I remind you that they're also the only sentient race we've discovered in over three hundred years of space exploration.”

“Spose,” D-Racip sulked; it didn't bother him that the first intelligent life his own race had come across had immediately been turned into slaves by his people.

However, what his fellow director said was true. The universe was full of life. Life appeared to pop up in the most surprising and unusual places, however, _intelligent_ life like the Th-rim and the Humans was incredibly rare. Although humanity was the only other intelligent species the Th-rim had discovered so far, there were ruins and abandoned technology that suggested there'd been others long, long ago. In fact the Th-rim had acquired most of its really advanced technology from the ruins of an alien city on their moon. If the truth was only known the Th-rim weren't all that more advanced than the humans they preyed on; in fact in some areas the humans were more advanced than the Th-rim, something it had been decided that the human race must never find out about or even guess at. This was also why the Th-rim never showed their faces to the humans until after they'd been Taken.

“Anyway,” D-Racip decided it was time to get back to the real reason for the meeting, this year's 'round-up', “apart from your own sexual perversions, why do we need to take more females?”

“Haven't you seen the sales figures?” R-Ekir gestured and a graph of the latest sales figures for human females sprang into being over the centre of the conference table, “Just look, we could sell as many as we can take!”

“To other sexual deviants no doubt,” D-Racip, despite his own feelings on the matter, studied the graph, it appeared that a single human female could bring as much a quarter of a million, a significant boast to the company's profits. “Interesting,” he agreed, “but if we take more females it'll depress the unit price and then there's the effect of taking more females would have on the general human population.”

“I've had some thoughts on that...” R-Ekir replied slowly.

“I thought you might have,” D-Racip smirked.

“In fact I've come up with several ideas,” R-Ekir announced, “I've not done anything like a full analysis or made any computer models yet to see how they might work out, so these are just ideas, nothing written in stone you understand?”

“Of course.”

“First; start taking younger females.”

“How much younger?”

“Up to two or three local years younger than the ones we take now,” R-Ekir explained, “the younger ones are even cuter than the ones we take at the moment.”

“Whatever,” D-Racip sighed; this didn't sound like a very good idea, so he asked, “What else?”

“We start taking pregnant females...”

“NO!” D-Racip banged his hand on the table cutting R-Ekir's explanation off before it had properly begun. “No, definitely not! That would have an adverse effect on overall human numbers...”

“But there's billions of them!”

“NO!” D-Racip repeated forcefully, “The taking of pregnant females is forbidden and I will personally see to it that you are removed from your directorship if you persist in these ideas.”

“Alright,” R-Ekir shrugged his shoulders, “how about this, we set up breeding colonies...”

“Breeding colonies?” again, despite himself, D-Racip found himself getting interested, “Interesting, but how would you make it work? I believe it takes a human female three quarters of a year to come to term and they tend to only have one offspring at a time...this would be a long term project.”

“I've thought of that,” R-Ekir smiled, “we give the females fertility drugs that encourage multiple births, even their own primitive pharmaceuticals can have this effect...”

“Where would you set up these breeding colonies?”

“Not on Earth, that's for sure,” R-Ekir explained, “but there are ten or fifteen suitable planets within a couple of days travel of Earth one of those would do.”

“Yes I provisionally agree,” D-Racip said after a moment's thought, “but we'll only do anything after we've done some serious studies into the idea.”

“You do!?” R-Ekir sounded surprised, he thought he'd have to work harder to convince his colleague.

“Yes, with the proper safe guards I could see this working,” ideas flowed into D-Racip's mind even as he spoke, “We'll only need a few males as one male can service four or five females a day...we could replace the males every year which would help genetic diversity,” D-Racip could see how this would work and the more he thought about it the more he liked it.

At the moment the trade in humans was either glut or famine. Every year they'd round up over a hundred-and-forty-million of the target population. Then they'd be transported aboard the huge livestock transports. This was the most dangerous part of the round up, so far there'd only been relatively minor riots which had been quickly dealt with by the ship's security forces. Until the humans were injected with the nano-bots that made them so obedient, hard working and eager to please, they were still wild and dangerous animals. 

At the moment each human had to be 'infected' with the nano-bots, this was usually done by either injecting the bots into each individual human or putting the bots into their food and water. Unfortunately the food and water method was only about thirty-five-point-six percent effective, while the injections only had a failure rate of three-point-seven percent. No matter how many med-bots or personnel you used to inject the stock it still took a long time to inject one-hundred-and-forty-million or more uncooperative humans.

Next you had to feed and care for them until you got them to the markets and lastly you had to hold the auctions. After two 'round-ups' the stock company that R-Ekir and D-Racip worked for was getting procedures into place to ensure the smooth running of the yearly round-ups, but it was by no means perfect, everyone was still learning. As a result the Th-rim lost several million humans every round-up, but those numbers appeared to be getting smaller each year. However it was still all lost profit.

“So, you think it'll work?” R-Ekir asked.

“I think the idea has merit,” D-Racip replied slowly, “I can't see why, at some later date, we couldn't stop the mass round-ups and only take selected stock while filling our customers orders from the produce of the breeding colonies, however that would be a very long term project I think.”

“Twenty years at a minimum,” agreed R-Ekir.

“I'll tell you what,” D-Racip turned to look his colleague straight in the eye, “work up something we can take to the board at the next general meeting and I'll support you...” D-Racip laughed quietly, “..I might even try one of these human females you're so fond of...now back to business what are this years projections for the round up?”

“Here,” a new graph replaced the one on how profitable human females were to the company, “projected numbers are, over one-hundred-and-forty-three-million, split twenty-seven percent females to seventy-three percent males. A slightly higher ratio of females to males than last year. Projected profit margins are...”

0=0=0=0

**Sunnydale High Library.**

Looking up from stamping in yet another returned book on childcare, Giles saw Buffy walk slowly into the library, he thought she looked a little confused.

“Buffy?” Giles called; at first Buffy didn't seem to hear him, but she looked around at him when he called again, “Buffy, could I see you in my office, please.”

“Yeah, sure,” Buffy replied wondering if Giles wanted to try and talk her into getting pregnant as well, she headed for his office anyway.

After checking that Willow could manage the library by herself for a few minutes, Giles followed Buffy into his office and closed the door behind him.

“Buffy...” Giles began.

“Giles...” Buffy replied, “...if you're going to try and persuade me to get pregnant, you're wasting your breath because I've already decided to...”

“I know,” Giles interrupted her, “you've made up your mind. I just wanted to tell you that I've spoken to the Council in London and they agree with you...”

“They do?” now Buffy really was confused, first the Council never agreed with her about anything and second, how did they know she'd changed her mind and decided to get pregnant?

“Yes,” Giles nodded, “they think its a terrific idea for you to allow yourself to be taken and try to fight The Others, or at least find out as much about them as you can before attempting to return home...”

“Oh!” Buffy felt her heart miss a beat, how could she tell Giles that she'd changed her mind now?

“So, beginning tomorrow,” Giles explained, “I'm starting you on a program of training exercises to prepare you as much as I can for whatever you'll have to face...” Giles took a deep breath and smiled warmly at his slayer, “...I must say that even though I don't agree one-hundred percent with your choice, I am nevertheless very proud of you for making it.”

“Gee thanks,” Buffy replied more than a little stunned, she couldn't back out now.

0=0=0=0


	6. Chapter 6

6.

**Graduation Day.**

The sound of her alarm clock jerked Buffy from her sleep, rolling over she reached out and silenced the clock's strident bell by sending it tumbling to the floor where it broke into pieces. Sitting up she looked towards the window to see the sunshine of another warm, California day creep around the edges of her curtains. Only then did the memory of what day it was intrude on her mind, it was Graduation Day. The realisation of what day it was made her feel like a prisoner on death row. Having forgotten what day it was in her sleep she'd woken up only to realise that today was the day of her execution. Sitting there Buffy stared at her curtains as if she'd never seen them before, she saw the pattern as if for the first time and wondered why she'd never really 'seen' it before. A loose thread dangled from the bottom of the curtain and she thought, she'd never need to cut it off or repair it now.

Hadn't someone once said something about how the prospect of being hung in the morning concentrated the mind wonderfully? This was probably why everything looked so new and vivid to her. Today she might die, it all depended on what The Others actually did with the people they took. Whatever the motives behind the alien's actions, one thing was for sure; after this morning the chances were she'd never see her bedroom again...or her mom, or her sister, or Giles, or Xander, or Willow, or anyone.

Swinging her legs out of bed, Buffy stood up and ran her fingers through her hair, she'd let it grow longer in these last few months before...well, before Graduation and her trip into the unknown. How quickly those few months had passed, looking back it hardly seemed like nearly four months since she'd made the decision to allow herself to be taken and then changed her mind. After her interview with Principal Snyder, she'd decided to take everyone's advice and let Xander get her pregnant so The Others wouldn't take her. But then Giles, not knowing of her change of heart, had looked so proudly at her when he'd finally agreed that she should go, even the Council back in London thought it was a good idea. Unable to disappoint Giles or her friends who were now all convinced that she was about to do something brave and noble and probably fatal, Buffy had allowed herself to be carried along on a wave of pre-taken preparation.

Everyone had rallied around her. While Giles put her through a rigorous training regime, Willow had done all her homework assignments, Buffy's GPA actually improved in those last three months. All her teachers thought that she was buckling down to some serious work so she would make the cut and not end up disappearing to who knew where. Her mom had believed or fooled herself into believing that her daughter would pass her SAT's and would come home at the end of graduation day, but Dawn didn't, she wasn't fooled. Somehow the younger girl appeared to be able to see through Buffy's stories about staying late at school so she could study extra hard. Neither did she believe Giles and Willow's claims that they were tutoring Buffy and how she was now sure to get a passing grade. Sitting at the dinner table, Buffy would see the resentful look in Dawn's eyes and she'd have to stop herself from going out and picking up some random guy and let him screw her pregnant.

After showering and getting dressed, Buffy stood in her bedroom and looked around. There was nothing else she needed here, she'd never come back. As she'd showered, she kept thinking, 'this might be the last shower I ever take'. When she'd chosen which clothes to wear she'd found she couldn't make up her mind what to wear...what did you wear for your last day on planet Earth? Eventually she put on her newest pair of jeans, a favourite tank top and her most comfortable pair of shoes. Walking over to her door she paused one last time to look back at her room. How small it looked, how ordinary, yet it held the sum of her life up to this point. Turning to walk out of the room Buffy wondered if her mother would keep it as a shrine to her 'Taken' daughter; she hoped not. Walking towards the stairs, Buffy found herself smiling. One thing was for sure, the instant Dawn turned seventeen-and-a-half, mom would march her down to the nearest fertility clinic and make damn sure Dawn got pregnant well before graduation day. This thought helped Buffy put a cheerful smile on her face for when she walked into the kitchen.

0=0=0=0

**Earth Orbit.**

Standing in front of the main view screen on the bridge of the P-Roclac flagship, R-Ekir watched Earth spin slowly below him. It was the second day of the round-up and it was the seven P-Roclac livestock transports turn to collect their share of the taken. They'd be taking subjects from the areas the humans called, North, South and Central America. Each ship was capable of holding a million humans and processing them for later sale.

About fifty percent of the P-Roclac stock would be going to Ikswoloina, a planet were Element 782 was mined; a vital component of the faster than light drives used by Th-rim starships. They'd replace the present work force when the poisons in Element 782 killed them in a couple of months time. Shaking his head R-Ekir wondered why there was no other method of mining Element 782. It was wasteful and it required them to come back to Earth every year to collect replacement stock. True Element 782 killed anyone, Human or Th-rim, who came into contact with it in its unrefined form, but luckily it only killed the actual miners and those coming into contact with the dust produced by the mining procedure. The Management and service workers in their sealed city were quite safe and would live for the full five years their conditioning allowed without the need to be replaced or reconditioned.

The idea that he'd had about the breeding colonies might work. They'd already set up a facility on a suitable planet; they'd select a thousand females and a hundred males from this round-up and experiment on them to work out the most profitable breeding cycle for the females. In reality the Th-rim knew little about how fast humans could reproduce and what the optimum conditions were to ensure healthy offspring. Hopefully the study would supply all the information needed to set up more and bigger breeding colonies. The rest of the humans; those not sent to the mines, breeding colony or the females sold to 'collectors', some would go to feed 'The Hunt' another of P-Roclac's money spinners. The Hunt always needed more participants as it had become insanely popular amongst young Th-rim males in the two years since The Hunt had been set up. It had astounded the Executive Council of P-Roclac that the The Hunt earnt the company in six months almost as much as its Element 782 operations did in the same time!

0=0=0=0

**Sunnydale.**

“Good morning Honey!” Joyce called as she saw her daughter walk into the kitchen, “I cooked pancakes for breakfast, don't want you to get hungry half way through your SAT's, now do you?”

“No Mom,” Buffy smiled and kissed her mother on her cheek, “thanks.” Buffy turned to look at Dawn who sat at the far end of the breakfast bar, “Hi Dawnie, how are you this morning?”

“About as good as you'd expect me to be,” Dawn replied close to tears, “knowing my sister won't be here when I come back from school this afternoon!”

“Dawn!” Joyce exclaimed, “Don't talk like that in front of your sister!”

“Why not?” Dawn snapped, “She knows its the truth I can't understand why you can't see it!”

Before her mother or sister could say anything, Dawn had jumped down from her stool and ran out of the kitchen.

“No Mom!” Buffy cried holding her mother back with her hand on her arm, “Let her be, she'll be okay once I come home this afternoon.”

“Yes,” Joyce relaxed a little, “you're probably right...” Joyce looked deeply into her eldest daughter's eyes, “You know Dawn really looks up to you...it would break her heart if you lied to her...about anything.”

“Lie?” Buffy tried to sound surprised at the very idea, “Why would I lie to Dawn?”

“I know you wouldn't,” Joyce went over to the oven only to return with a plateful of pancakes, “just like I know you wouldn't lie to me.”

0=0=0=0

Having eaten her pancakes, Buffy was just drinking the last or her orange juice when there was a heavy knock on the front door. For a moment both Buffy and her mother froze in place. It was perfect timing, almost as if someone had been looking through the kitchen window to make sure she'd finished her breakfast before calling.

“Time to go,” Buffy said quietly.

“Yes dear,” Joyce replied in her normal voice, “will you be wanting anything sp-special w-when y-you...”

Joyce broke down as her daughter rushed to her side and held her tightly.

“Don't cry, mom,” Buffy whispered, “you'll see, I'll be back this afternoon and...and...”

Buffy couldn't continue with the lie, she'd already broken her sister's heart now she was breaking her mother's. Why hadn't she told Giles that she was staying, why hadn't she...?

Deep down she knew the reason, it was her duty to protect the human race. If The Others hadn't come she'd probably be dead by now anyway, a slayer's life wasn't exactly long once she started to fight the forces of evil. So, thanks to The Others, she'd probably had one or two years of life that she wouldn't have had and now it was time to pay for all those moments with her family and friends that she'd had that she wouldn't otherwise have had. There was a louder knock at the door, someone sounded impatient.

“I've got to go now, mom,” Buffy whispered as she reluctantly let go of her mother.

“Yes, of course,” Joyce picked up a hand towel and dabbed at her tear stained face, “silly me, don't know what came over me there.”

“Old age, mom,” Buffy forced a smile, “next thing you know you'll be complaining of hot flushes.”

“Demon child!” Joyce's laugh was as brittle as crystal.

“Walk me to the door?” Buffy asked.

“Of course,” Joyce looked proudly at her daughter, it was almost as if she knew what Buffy intended to do, “you know I love you, don't you? I'll always love you, whatever happens.”

“I know Mom,” Buffy arrived at the front door to find her sister waiting for her just inside the living room.

“Buffy...” Dawn sobbed her eyes red from crying.

“Dawnie...” Buffy wrapped her arms around her sister and held her close, she whispered in Dawn's ear, “...look after Mom, she'll need you more than ever.”

“I will...” Dawn let go of Buffy and let her open the door.

“Ms Summers?” asked one of the National Guardsmen who stood on the front porch, “Ms Buffy Summers?”

“Yes,” Buffy replied quietly as she looked out towards the school bus waiting on Revelo Drive to take her to school; there were at least three more Guardsmen and a cop waiting either on or around the bus plus the two guys standing at her door.

One guardsman held his rifle, barrel pointing upwards with the butt resting on his hip. The other guy's rifle hung from a strap over his shoulder, in his hand he held a clipboard and pen.

“If you'd come with us please,” the guy with the clipboard said as he made a check mark on his list of names and addresses.

“Of course,” Buffy stepped down from the porch, but paused before following the soldier to the bus, she turned to look at her mother and sister one last time. “Bye Mom, bye Dawnie, I'll see you this afternoon...I love you...”

Turning she followed the soldiers to the bus.

0=0=0=0

**Earth Orbit.**

“Six hours to pick-up,” K-Rik, the captain of the P-Roclac flagship reported, “all systems on standby.”

“They are?” R-Ekir replied.

“Most certainly,” K-Rik confirmed, “there's going to be no repetition of what happened last year.”

“And what _did_ happen last year?” R-Ekir asked suspiciously.

“We lost fifty-seven-thousand prime humans when a bunch of males in number three hold panicked and tried to break out. The panic spread like a system's failure and the security-bots had to use lethal measures before order was restored.”

“I see,” R-Ekir said quietly; he'd heard of this sort of thing happening on other ships, by his calculations several million humans were lost each round up from such 'incidents', “lets hope you can keep control this year.”

“Don't worry, Director R-Ekir,” Captain K-Rik smiled, “this year we've got knock out gas tailored for humans and better non-lethal weapons. We'll still lose a few thousand but nowhere near as many as last year.”

“I do hope you're right Captain,” R-Ekir nodded; the more he thought about the breeding colonies the more he thought that they were the best solution for all concerned.

0=0=0=0

**Sunnydale.**

Stepping up onto the bus, Buffy caught a fleeting glimpse of her mother and Dawn turning away and heading back into the house. Burning the memory of the scene into her mind, she turned to face the passengers already on the bus. Most of them were boys, some looked confident, others looked scared, still others looked on the verge of panic. Last year there'd been fights on the buses or parents wouldn't let their children go to school, it had all been very distressing and totally pointless. The Others took you whatever you did, if it was your time to go, you went. This year the authorities were taking no chances, all schools were closed. The SATs would be taken at 'secure locations' guarded by the police and the National Guard. Students would be picked up in the specially armoured school buses. The cops and Guardsmen had been ordered to use lethal force if anyone resisted.

Stepping into the body of the bus, Buffy saw that there were only three girls aboard this bus; another security feature, keep the pregnant girls away from the boys who might be very bitter about the 'girl's-get-out-clause'. Two of the girls, Buffy didn't know, but the blonde girl sitting by herself right at the front of the bus was very familiar. Buffy went and sat down next to her.

“Harmony, why are you here?” Buffy looked at Harmony's belly to find it was very flat, “I thought Xander...”

“It looks like I totally can't have kids,” Harmony turned tear filled yes on Buffy, “Xander did his stuff, but I just can't get knocked up!” Harmony laughed humourlessly, “I wish I'd known earlier I coulda had more fun...y'know?”

“But couldn't your parents take you to a clinic or something?” Buffy asked as the bus moved off.

“They tried,” Harmony shrugged disconsolately, “nothing worked...not only am I stupid I can't even get pregnant...I'm useless...”

“No you're not,” Buffy put her arm around the sobbing girl's shoulder, “you never know you might pass!”

“Yeah, like that's going to happen,” Harmony sobbed, “even my parents know I'm useless. They took me out of school and we went on a long vacation to take my mind off what was going to happen.”

“Did it work?” Buffy rested her head against Harmony's.

“A couple of times,” Harmony admitted, “but they took so many photographs I just knew they wanted them to remind them of me after...y'know...”

“Yeah,” Buffy sighed, “after...”

“I'm scarred Buffy,” Harmony said in a very small voice almost like a child's.

“So am I,” Buffy admitted, “tell you what?”

“What?”

“Like, if the time comes and we get Taken,” Buffy explained, “we'll hold hands and go together, I'll look after you, things won't be so bad you wait and see...”

0=0=0=0


	7. Chapter 7

7.

**Sunnydale.**

It was only as the bus neared its destination that Buffy realised where she was being taken. Looking out of the front window over the driver's shoulder, she caught her first glimpse of Camp Sunnydale; she also got to see the large restless crowd that stood outside the camp gates chanting and waving banners. The Cops and the National Guardsmen on the bus started to look nervous as the bus slowed down. They told everyone to get down as low as they could and not look out of the windows.

Crouching down with Harmony in the space between their seat and the back of the driver's seat, Buffy kept her head just high enough to see what was going on. The bus slowed right down as it reached the edge of the mob and Buffy got to see what was written on the banners and hear what people were chanting. Some of the banners and chants called on the occupants of the bus to refuse to take the SAT's. Buffy snorted with derision, that was the most stupid thing she'd heard in a long time. Not only was it pointless, The Others just took you no matter what, they'd also made it quite clear what would happen if there was any organised resistance to the 'taking'.

While one half of the crowd seemed to be trying to encourage the students not to take the tests the other half appeared to take the exact opposite view. A lot of religious and pseudo-religious groups had sprung up, each claiming in their own special way that The Others were agents of their god and those who were selected to be taken should be grateful. In an odd way Buffy felt more sympathy for the 'god' orientated groups. Although in her opinion both groups were complete and utter, thundering loonies, at least the religious types tried to make you feel good about something that you had little control over.

The bus slowed to a halt as the mass of the crowd closed in around it. People started to bang on the sides of the bus or tried to open the doors. The soldiers and the cop were looking really scared now and had their guns out and pointing at the doors. What happened next was pretty much a foregone conclusion when two groups with opposing and strongly held beliefs came into close proximity, some one threw a punch. As the pro and anti Taken parties closed in around the bus, 'reasoned' debate turned into a violent argument. Fists struck out at people holding the opposite view and banners were turned into weapons. The bus was now surrounded by a sea of struggling humanity which made it rock violently from side to side. Harmony sobbed with fear in Buffy's arms as the cop and the soldiers prepared to open fire. Ducking down, Buffy winced as the sound of gunshots and loud, sharp explosions drowned out the yells of the protesters. The bus stopped rocking as a chemical smell caught in Buffy's nose and made her eyes start to water. It took her only moments to realise that someone had used tear-gas to disperse the crowd.

The bus's engine revved up and the vehicle began to move again. Peeping out the window, Buffy saw a lot of masked National Guard soldiers pushing back the crowd with their rifle butts and bayonets. A white haze of tear-gas hung over everything as the protesters fell back before the physical and chemical assault of the National Guard. The bus picked up speed and drove through the gate and into the camp. Once inside the camp the bus drove along a cleared pathway with rolls of barbed wire on either side. Even if she'd wanted to get off the bus, Buffy doubted that she could have found her way over or through those entanglements.

After no more than a couple of minutes the bus drove into what looked like a parking lot next to what had probably been a parade ground. It was hard to tell because the open area was covered in big, green army tents. There were signs everywhere telling you what to do and where to go, there were also more soldiers, this time mixed in with civilians holding clipboards and pens in their hand.

“Everybody off the bus!” ordered the cop as he opened the door, “Line up along the side of the bus and don't move.”

“Okay, Harmony,” Buffy said quietly as she and Harmony stood up ready to get off the bus, “hold my hand and stick with me, okay?”

“Why are you doing this?” Harmony asked as she dried her reddened eyes, “I was never your friend in fact I've been pretty mean to you and your friends...why are you being so nice to me?”

“Its what I do,” Buffy shrugged not really being able to explain it even to herself, “if I see someone who needs help I can't help myself...god that sounds so 'noble' and holier than thou!”

“No it doesn't,” Harmony said as they stepped down onto the parking lot together, “it sounds brave...thank-you Buffy whatever happens I won't forget you...”

0=0=0=0

During the next half hour, Buffy and Harmony were pushed and prodded into one of the big tents. First the boys were separated from the girls, next the girls were taken into a big brick built building where they were given a rough and ready, 'intrusive' medical examination. Buffy suspected the exam was to ascertain if any of the girls were pregnant, however, as far as Buffy could see all the examination did was to further upset and humiliate the girls who had to take it.

Next everyone was lined up outside, anyone stepping out of line was zapped by one of the guard's electric shock batons. Eventually they were marched to one of the big tents. As they walked towards the tent, somehow Harmony and Buffy had managed to keep together, Buffy tried to spot anyone else she knew. Seeing none of her friends, she started to think that maybe this was the test site for those who were expected to fail their SATs. The only person she'd seen who she knew was Harmony and Buffy started to hold on to the blonde girl's hand as much for her own comfort as Harmony's. Eventually they filed into the tent, there were chairs with the usual fold down working surfaces lined up in long neat rows across the interior. Electric lights hung from the ceiling and on each chair lay three, Number Two pencils, a pencil sharpener and an eraser. Next a civilian with a clipboard asked each student her name and sent her to their seat. This was where Buffy and Harmony where finally split up and Buffy found herself sitting surrounded by people she didn't know.

Looking at their faces and listening to the quiet sobs of some of the girls sitting near by, Buffy wondered if she looked as scared as the girls sitting next to her. Deep down she expected she did. Yes she'd fought the forces of darkness for about two years before The Others made all the big bads 'go away', she'd seen some pretty horrible things in those two years, but this was different. Back in the day, she could see the monsters and do something about them. Now, there was no monsters to confront, nothing to fight, one minute she'd be there and the next she'd be gone, there'd be nothing she could do about it. She was alone, even Harmony had been taken from her, and she was facing a fate that was inevitable and unavoidable.

All these thoughts went through her mind as civilian workers passed out the test papers, while another explained the rules governing the test. Buffy wasn't really listening and for just a moment she didn't notice that the guy in charge had told them to turn over their papers and start. Jerked back into the present by the sounds of several girls sighing with relief when they saw the first set of questions. Buffy turned over her paper and wrote her name in the top right hand corner of her test sheet. Next she wrote her home address followed by the name of her school. Finally she looked at the first set of questions and answers. Staring at the paper, her pencil poised over the answer boxes, Buffy was certain she knew the answer to the first question. Her eyes shifted to the second question, then the third, so far she'd not seen a question that she didn't know the answer to. Flicking through the paper, Buffy realised that she could pass this test. Okay she wouldn't have the highest score ever but she didn't want that, she just needed to 'pass' so as not to be taken. For just a moment Buffy smiled as she imagined the look on Dawn's face when she walked into the kitchen this afternoon.

Buffy was pretty sure Dawn would scream and hug her and their mom would hug them both and...and... But that wasn't what was going to happen, instead of happy noises tonight there would be a lot of crying at 1630 Revelo Drive. Buffy felt the tear roll down her face and jumped a little as it hit the test paper and made a little 'tock' sound. Looking at the answer boxes through tear blurred eyes, Buffy so wanted so much to put 'B' which she was pretty sure was the correct answer. Instead she moved her pencil slightly and marked 'C' which was so obviously wrong that she couldn't believe it had been put down as an option.

0=0=0=0

**Earth Orbit.**

“How goes the loading, Captain?” R-Ekir asked

“All ships report that they have reached twenty-five percent capacity, sir,” Captain K-Rik switched the view on one of the viewscreens from showing a picture of the planet below them to a view of a compartment full of struggling, naked, humanity. “That's reception bay thirteen.”

“Won't they hurt themselves?” R-Ekir asked with concern as he watched the frightened humans struggle to find a way out of the compartment.

“No,” K-Rik shook his head, “the compartment is designed to hold five hundred, there are only about four hundred in that particular bay so there's little chance of them crushing or otherwise injuring themselves...anyway,” the captain smiled at he reached for a button on his wrist unit, “watch this...”

R-Ekir watched as a slight yellow haze filled the picture before him. Within a few seconds the humans stopped struggling and stood still. They each had, what R-Ekir had been informed, a dazed expressions on their faces.

“The gas is new,” K-Rik explained, “this is the first time we've used it in large quantities.”

“What has it done to them?” R-Ekir wanted to know.

“Its like a very strong tranquillizer,” K-Rik replied, “it allows us to control them without recourse to the threat or use of violence. Its effects are only temporary, but it allows the crew to get them into the cargo holds without any trouble.”

“If its so good why don't you have the reception compartments filled with the gas before the stock arrives?”

“You'll have to ask one of the techs about that,” K-Rik shrugged, “I made the same suggestion but someone came out with a whole load of techno-babble that I didn't understand.” K-Rik sighed heavily, “I'm a starship driver not a member of one of the science guilds...its something to do with the particles that make up the gas affecting the transporter beam.”

“Oh,” R-Ekir nodded his understanding, he himself was a director, his expertise lay in the arts of organisation, science was a complete mystery to him, “I see...”

“There,” K-Rik pointed to the screen again as the doors were opened and human guards led the now docile stock to the cargo holds.

“Good,” R-Ekir nodded, it had been distressing to see all those humans struggling to free themselves, now they were under control he felt a lot happier. “Is that all from that target area?”

“Yes,” K-Rik checked some read outs, “we're moving on to our next target, a place called...” K-Rik squinted at the words on the navigation display, “...somewhere called 'bright-sun-valley' if you're interested?”

“Not really,” R-Ekir replied, the names of human towns held little interest to him.

0=0=0=0

**Sunnydale.**

“Well, that's it,” Buffy told herself as her test paper was collected by one of the civilians working the tent.

They were told to stay in the tent and that their test results would be back to them within the hour. Not only did Buffy feel relieved she also felt resigned to whatever was going to happen next; she was expecting the lowest score in SAT history. Not so low as to make anyone think that she'd failed deliberately, but low enough to ensure that she'd be gone in a few hours.

“How did you do?”

Buffy turned to see Harmony sit down in a vacant chair next to hers.

“Oh, not so bad,” Buffy lied, “you?”

“You think you've passed?” Harmony avoided answering Buffy's question.

“Maybe,” Buffy smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way.

“I've got to say you seem totally calm about it,” Harmony reached out to take hold of Buffy's hand.

“What's the point of...!” Buffy stopped speaking as she noticed the bright light sweep through the tent.

The bastards! Buffy thought as the light advanced on her rapidly, they'd lied! An hour hadn't passed, no way could anyone have marked the papers in the time between the civilian workers leaving the tent and the appearance of the light. For just a few seconds Buffy remembered Giles' suspicions that the tests were some sort of rouse. The next thing she knew Buffy found herself engulfed in the light...

0=0=0=0

**Earth Orbit.**

Blinking her eyes open, Buffy found herself in a large metal walled room with a lot of naked teenage boys and girls. Looking down at herself, Buffy discovered that she was naked as well. Everyone seemed to be either screaming or shouting in fear. Over by one of the walls there were a group of boys kneeling on the floor with their hands raised to the ceiling as the prayed and sang hymns. Almost being knocked off her feet as the crowd moved towards one of the walls, Buffy stumbled into a tall guy. He caught her in his arms and set her on her feet again.

“Thanks,” Buffy said as he looked up into her rescuer's handsome face.

“You're welcome,” the guy grinned at her, but before he could say anything else the crowd moved again and he was swept from her view.

Struggling to stay upright, Buffy looked around for Harmony, but she was nowhere in sight, Buffy was just about to call her name when she tasted something odd in her mouth. Looking up she saw a yellow haze descending from the ceiling. Gas! Clamping her hand across her mouth and nose, Buffy tried to stop herself from breathing any of the yellow vapour in, but it was already too late. Slowly, Buffy felt her body go numb and her mind relax and give up any thoughts she might have had about resisting. After only ten seconds or so, she stood like everyone else, completely relaxed and waiting to be told what to do.

0=0=0=0

“Good,” R-Ekir watched as the latest batch of stock came under the influence of the gas, “how big was that group?”

“Just over three thousand,” K-Rik replied, “We'll be here for a couple of days more before we're full.”

“This is normal?” R-Ekir asked, the captain nodded in the affirmative, “good...now I want your med-techs to randomly select one thousand females and one hundred males and put them to one side for a special project.”

“Of course,” K-Rik replied.

“You may condition the males but not the females, understood?”

“That'll cause some security problems,” K-Rik pointed out.

“I'm sure you can deal with them, Captain.”

0=0=0=0

The next time Buffy became aware of her surroundings she found she was strapped securely to a cold metal table or shelf. Strapped down so securely in fact the she she couldn't even turn her head to one side or another to get a clear picture of her surroundings. However she got the impression of another person held on a shelf across a narrow passageway from her. Testing the strength of the straps Buffy found that they wouldn't budge, there were too many of them across her body and limbs so she couldn't get enough leverage on any one strap to break free. Realising she was stuck where she was for the foreseeable future, Buffy tried to take in what she could sense of her surroundings. Not only was she strapped down, but her nose was only a couple of inches away from what she suspected was the bottom of the shelf above her. The most worrying thing however was there appeared to be tubes going into every orifice in her body, she could also feel what were probably needles stuck into the veins of her left arm. Once again she tried to wriggle free. Suddenly she felt something cold being pumped into her arm, she felt her heart beat increase as she tried desperately to free herself, but the straps seemed to grip her even more tightly. After only a few more seconds, Buffy felt her eyelids getting heavy as she started to fall asleep; she tried to fight it but before she even realised it had happened she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

0=0=0=0


	8. Chapter 8

8.

**Buffy.**

Crouching down behind a low wall, Buffy took a moment or two to catch her breath and try to get her bearings. The wall, what there was left of it, had once surrounded a small park or garden. Now it was broken down in places or pocked with holes made by large calibre firearms. Looking back the way she'd just come, she saw the once neat lawns were now overgrown with weeds and long grass growing between the bushes and shrubs. The wild plants had run riot in however many years it'd been since a gardener had last practiced his or her arts on this spot of green now surrounded by ruined buildings. The few trees that were still standing all had branches shot off them, some had continued to grow even after their trunks had been shot through, the entire place reminded her of the photos of the Second World War battlefields she'd seen in her history books.

Looking cautiously over the wall, Buffy saw more destruction, the road between the park where she hid and the surrounding buildings was torn up by weapon's fire, here and there the rusting hulk of a car or truck lay at an odd angle across the road. Street-lights had been blown down to form low obstacles across the road, there was also what looked like half melted street furniture and rubble from the building that faced onto the street. The buildings were all hollow eyed where their windows had been blown out, the walls were blacked with the soot from the long dead fires that had raged when the city had first been destroyed. Not one building in ten had anything that you might describe as a roof left and weeds and small trees were starting to grow amongst the ruins an indicator of just how long the city had been like this.

Seeing no danger, Buffy looked to her right. About fifty or sixty yards away across the road at a junction where two roads met was the safe zone. In the safe zone, she knew there'd be food, water and a chance to rest for awhile. She'd quickly learnt that you couldn't stay in a safe zone for long. Although the hunter's weapons couldn't fire into a safe zone and they weren't supposed to to approach closer than about one hundred yards, there was nothing to stop a hunter or hunters waiting one-hundred-and-one yards away from the zone and shooting you as you came out. Also if you spent too much time in a zone the Hunt Master would switch off the zone's beacon and you were fair game for the hunters once again.

Seeing no sign of any hunters, which didn't guarantee that there were none around, they could be hiding in the ruins somewhere, Buffy was just thinking about making a run for the zone. Having been on the run since dawn, it had to be nearly midday now, the safe zone was looking more and more inviting by the second. Having ignored earlier zones, she was starting to feel hungry and thirsty. Sure she'd outpaced her fellow quarry, but the fact that she was out in front of the field was starting to make her a target for the hunters...that and her being a girl. Hunters always liked to target girls. Just as she was about to climb back to her feet again and make a run for it the sound of rubble being displaced drew her attention to her left.

Ducking down, Buffy waited for a moment or two before risking looking over the wall again. When she did she saw four, no make that five guys climb cautiously down a pile of rubble. Coming to a halt she watched as they crouched down and looked up and down the ruined street. The fact that they were as naked as she was didn't bother her anymore. When she'd first started being used as prey she'd been embarrassed at having to run in the nude, but as everyone else was naked, she soon got over it; after all she had other things to worry about than having boys look at her.

The five guys evidently decided it was safe to run for the safe zone. Still keeping a wary eye out for hunters they got to their feet and started to trot towards the building across the road from the park where she hid. Knowing that it was a 'bad' thing to do, Buffy decided she'd stay where she was and see if the little group of guys would draw any fire from the hunters who were bound to be near. Watching as the teenagers made their way along the street, Buffy found herself smirking at the way certain bits of the boy's anatomy bounced as they run. Reminding herself that her own 'bits' tended to bounce around as she ran, she stopped looking.

The guys were within about twenty yards of safety and Buffy was just starting to think that it would be safe to follow the guys in, when five small and very bright balls of light streaked out of the ruins to her right and flashed towards the guys as they started to sprint towards the safe zone. Three of the 'paint balls' as she'd learned to call the balls of light hit three of the guys. They stopped in mid stride and fell bonelessly to the ground. The forth ball missed its target and exploded with a flash of blue light against the side of a wrecked and rusted van. The fifth ball hit its target which exploded in a flash of yellow light and a haze of pink mist. In an instant where once had run an eighteen or nineteen year old boy there was now only a smear of red on the battered surface of the road. The survivor cried out in alarm and almost seemed about to go back and help his buddies, but then he remembered himself, turned and sprinted for the safe zone.

The hunters would often shoot someone with one of their stunners in order to draw more prey out as they went to help their unconscious friends. If anyone did appear to pull a downed friend to safety there was a good chance that they'd get shot too. Although it went against all her instincts to help, Buffy had schooled herself to stay hidden and not to try and help. This was why she preferred to run alone. Peeping over the top of the wall, she saw the look of despair on the survivor's face before he disappeared into the safe zone. Congratulating herself on waiting to see if there were any hunters close by and basically using the five guys a bate, Buffy waited to see if a hunter would show himself and collect a trophy.

Although the three stunned guys weren't dead, the hunters sometimes liked to collect trophies from downed prey. Sometimes it was just an ear or a finger. Other times it might be a scalp or even a head, there was no way of knowing, Buffy had even seen hunters cut off a guy's genitals. Of course Buffy knew she couldn't be killed by one of the lethal 'paint balls', the tracker beneath the skin at the back of her neck caused any lethal shots aimed at her to explode short of their target. But, she could still be stunned and once stunned there was a special terror for female prey. Although the hunters weren't human they enjoyed torturing and raping girls. If you were lucky you survived to be sent to recover at the medical centre back at the camp, if you were luckier still you died. So far Buffy hadn't been caught and she had no intention of being caught, she'd rather die.

Being careful not to give away her position, Buffy watched as two hunters made their way from the ruins where they'd been hiding over to their fallen quarry. Walking around the patch of red on the road, the hunters stood over their prizes for a moment. This was only the third or forth time Buffy had seen hunters this close, it was always wise to keep well away from the creatures if you saw them coming. They were roughly human shaped and between seven and nine feet tall. They had long, sharp faces with pointed ears and their skin was a bright reddish-brown. These two specimens were wearing grey disruptive pattern camouflaged clothes which made them look a little like soldiers. They both carried the odd looking hunting rifles which all the hunters used. It was maybe five or six feet long with a long, slim barrel and a cylindrical container under the weapon one end of which ended near what Buffy suspected was the trigger, the container probably contained the 'paint balls' that either knocked you out of blew you into a fine, pink mist.

Kneeling next to the bodies the hunters laid down their rifles and drew long wickedly sharp looking knives from the sheaths on their belts. Clamping a hand over her mouth, Buffy ducked out of the way as the hunters started to cut off the heads of two of their prizes. The next time Buffy looked the hunters had gone leaving the third unconscious guy lying near his two dead buddies. Checking once again that there was no sign of any more hunters, Buffy jumped up from her hiding place and ran over to where the survivor lay. After checking he was in fact still alive she dragged him into the safe zone. At least there he and she would be safe...for a while.

0=0=0=0

**Dawn.**

Standing at the end of the short drive that led up to her house, Dawn noticed that her mother's SUV was parked in the driveway and the lights were on upstairs. It was late, late enough to be dark, Dawn often stayed away from home until it was dark these days. Since The Others had arrived the number of strange murders and mysterious disappearances in Sunnydale had decreased, now clubs and after school activities were flourishing. Dawn had joined several clubs and had even taken up playing soccer. It all helped to keep her away from home so she wouldn't have to deal with the memories of her missing sister.

In the week after Buffy had been taken Joyce had pretended that they're been a mix-up or Buffy had run away for some reason, that everything would all be sorted out soon and Buffy would come home. Eventually even Joyce couldn't delude herself anymore and had to admit that Buffy wasn't coming home. Thanksgiving had been the worst, Joyce had sunk into a black pit of despair that Dawn thought she would never dig herself out of; now it was two weeks before Christmas and Dawn was dreading the holiday.

Dawn had surprised herself by how well she'd dealt with Buffy being taken; of course she'd cried, she'd loved her sister. However, she'd always seemed to know that Buffy would go, Dawn knew that Buffy was something special however much she tried to hide it; she knew that her sister was noble and brave and would one day try to fight The Others. Not that it made Dawn feel any better, but she could accept what her sister had done in a way that her mother couldn't.

Slowly, Dawn made her way towards her front door. In a way it made things seem better now that Willow had had her baby, a little girl, and would be starting at UC Sunnydale next summer. Xander and Cordy now had a little boy, Xander was working construction and Cordy was working in a dress shop part-time. They seemed happy and they'd moved into a small apartment having cut any remaining ties with both sets of parents. Dawn would often go and visit or baby sit for them...another reason not to go home. Slipping her key into the lock, Dawn opened the door and walked into the hall.

“Hi Mom, I'm home,” she called with all the enthusiasm she could muster.

“I'm in the kitchen, sweetheart,” Joyce called back, “have you eaten yet?”

“Erm, no mom,” Dawn replied as she dumped her jacket and school bag in the hall, her mother sounded pretty chipper tonight; Dawn dared to hope that her mother was starting to get over Buffy's disappearance.

“Do you want to eat now or later?” Joyce called.

“Now if that's okay,” whatever else might be happening Dawn was still a teen and she was always hungry.

“Hey!” Dawn exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen and was immediately hugged by her mother, “Mom!”

“No need to sound like that,” Joyce scolded her daughter gently, “I don't care how old you are I'm still going to hug you.”

“Yeah right,” Dawn looked suspiciously at her mother, “you look...erm...well this evening...what's...?”

“Sit down, honey,” Joyce gestured to a stool next to the breakfast bar before going over to the oven and taking out a big anchovy topped pizza, “you and I need to talk,” Joyce started to cut up the pizza and put pieces onto plates. “I know I've not been much of a mom to you since...well...you know...since Buffy...went away...”

“Mom...” Dawn started to deny any such thing but was shushed into silence by her mother as she placed a plate loaded with pizza slices in front of her.

“No,” Joyce sat down across the breakfast bar from Dawn, “I've been mopping about worrying about Buffy and I forgot I had two daughters that needed me.”

“Mom...” Dawn tried to say that she didn't mind and that she'd not been a very good daughter since Buffy had gone.

“No, Dawn, let me speak and eat your pizza before it gets cold,” Joyce once again stopped her daughter from talking. “I know you've been staying away in the evenings so you wouldn't have to cope and honey you're too young to have to cope. None of this was our fault, we've nothing to be ashamed of this was all because The Others are evil creatures to inflict this sort of torture on so many people. I just want you to know that _your_ mom is back and things are going to go back to normal...or at least as normal as they can be without your sister around.”

“Oh mom...” Dawn slid down from her stool and hugged her mom, “...I'm so, like, totally glad you're here...I wanna make this work...I want us to be a family again.”

“So do I Dawnie,” Joyce hugged her daughter tightly, “so I was wondering if you'd like it if we had all Buffy's friends over for Christmas dinner?”

“All?” Dawn let go of her mom and frowned at her.

“Well, you know...Xander, Cordy, Willow and that Mr Giles she seemed so fond of.”

“Cordy?” Dawn smirked as she went back to her pizza.

“What's wrong with Cordy, she's married to Xander now we couldn't not invite one without the other,” Joyce pointed out.

“No,” Dawn shook her head, “it's just the idea of Buffy and Cordy being friends...at the very best they tolerated each other.”

“Well, I don't care,” Joyce replied firmly, “Cordy is getting an invite.”

“Whatever,” Dawn shrugged as she bit into her pizza, “you do know that Xander cheated on Cordy with Willow, right?”

“When?”

“Oh ages ago,” Dawn said around a mouthful of pizza, “I think they've got over it now.”

“They have?” Joyce replied, “And don't speak with your mouth full...is there anything I should know about Mr Giles?”

“Hmmm!” Dawn pointed to her mouth; Joyce waited patiently while Dawn finished her mouthful of pizza. “As far as I know Mr Giles is still Mr Giles, no secret girlfriends or anything...mind he's totally too old to have a girlfriend.”

“Dawn!” Joyce glared at Dawn, “Mr Giles is only a few years older than I am...”

“Ewww!” Dawn cried, a slice of pizza half way to her mouth, “You _like_ Mr Giles!”

“No I do not!” Joyce said with as much conviction as she could, “I hardly know him...I just thought it would be nice to have another adult at the table.”

If the truth was to be told, Joyce had felt rather empty inside since Buffy had gone, she needed someone or something to fill that void and Mr Giles had seemed 'nice' the few times she'd met him. Plus Buffy had liked him; a little like he was a father figure to her.

“Anyway,” Joyce continued, “whatever you might think, I'm going to invite Mr Giles...”

“Mom's got a boyfriend,” Dawn chanted quietly as she smiled at her mother; for the first time in she didn't know how long Dawn felt happy about being at home with her mom.

After dinner, Joyce and Dawn cleared up the kitchen. Once everything had been washed up and put away, Joyce turned to her daughter.

“Dawn,” Joyce said soberly, “would you mind helping me with something upstairs?”

“Sure,” Dawn replied, “I've no homework so I'm all yours.”

“Good,” Joyce led the way out of the kitchen and upstairs to Buffy's old room.

When she entered her sister's old room, Dawn saw that her mother had left lots of empty cardboard boxes on the bed and floor.

“Mom?” Dawn started to panic as she realised what her mother intended to do.

“Dawnie,” Joyce put her arm around Dawn's shoulder as they stood looking at Buffy's room, “We've left Buffy's room for long enough, I don't want to turn into one of those sad mother's who turn their little girl's room into a shrine. We both know she isn't coming back and its time for us to move on...”

“You mean forget her...” Dawn was close to tears as she suddenly realised what she'd not wanted to admit to herself; Buffy was gone, she'd never be coming back, and it was time she realised that and learnt to live with it.

“No...” Joyce shook her head sadly, “...we'll never forget her but its not healthy to leave her room waiting for her as if she's just gone on vacation or left to go to college, okay?”

“Okay,” Dawn agreed miserably.

“We'll put all her clothes in the boxes and I'll take them to the thrift store tomorrow,” Joyce moved to open one of Buffy's closets, she sighed, “I'd forgotten just how many outfits she had...and all the shoes,” She took several dresses from where they hung and laid them on the bed, “Clear out the drawers would you Dawn...you know once we've cleared out everything we can redecorate and you can move in if you want...”

“Yeah...” Dawn replied very quietly as she pulled open one of the drawers of Buffy's dresser.

In the drawer, Dawn saw one of Buffy's old stakes, she'd said she'd carried them for 'protection', although Dawn couldn't think what it could protect her from; Buffy'd christened this one 'Mr Pointy'. Picking up the piece of wood, Dawn held it to her chest for a moment before tucking it in the waist band of her jeans and pulling her t-shirt over it to hide it from her mom.

0=0=0=0


	9. Chapter 9

9.

**D-Racip.**

Lying on his side D-Racip looked down at the human female that lay beside him in his bed; R-Ekir had made good on his promise and sent the 'girl' to him as a gift. At first D-Racip hadn't been too sure what to do with the 'girl', but reading the manual that came with the human had soon given him a few ideas. Smiling he reached out with his hand and placed it on one of the fatty mounds that grew from the girl's chest. Breasts, he remembered they were called, from his reading of the manual and the little nubs that pocked out stiffly from the girl's breasts were called 'nipples'. Apparently these breasts and nipples were used when feeding human young, but they were also secondary sexual organs for human females, at least that's what the manual had told him.

The previous night when he'd slipped his primary sexual organ into the human's primary sexual organ, the girl had started to gasp and moan. Concerned that he was hurting the female (D-Racip wasn't a cruel Th-Rim) he'd pulled back a little but the girl had wrapped her legs around his waist and seemed to be trying to force more of him into her. As he'd moved into her again the girl's moans and cries got louder as she squirmed under him. This, he'd discovered after reading his manual again, was how human females showed their pleasure during mating. He had to admit that he'd enjoyed mating with the human female much more than he'd ever enjoyed mating with one of his own kind's females. Each year he'd done his racial duty and mated with a female, but all he'd felt then was fear.

“Hi Master,” the girl opened her eyes and looked up at D-Racip and smiled sleepily.

“Erm...” D-Racip hesitated not sure how he should respond; he looked closely at the name tag on the girl's collar, “...um, hi Harmony.”

0=0=0=0

**Buffy**

“Home at last,” Buffy said to herself as she climbed down from the bus; the bus looked almost exactly like the one that had taken her to the testing centre, the main difference between it and that bus on Earth was that this one floated about a foot above the ground.

Walking across the dusty track towards the hut where she and the other female prey lived, Buffy stopped for a moment to watch as the other girl's got off the bus and headed for the barrack hut. Listening to the girls talk anyone would think they'd just had a fun, all expenses paid visit to the mall instead of having spent the last twelve hours running for their lives and in danger of being killed and/or raped by nine foot tall red-brown demons with guns! Buffy just couldn't understand it, it was like she was the only one who thought that what was being done to them was wrong. On several occasions she'd tried to get the girls she shared the hut with to fight back or go on strike; but, they'd all looked at her as if she was insane and then, worse yet, they'd laughed at her.

After that, Buffy had given up trying and had concentrated on keeping herself alive and un-raped. Today had been her seventh 'hunt'; you were hunted every few days which meant you got a minimum of twenty-four hours to recover between hunts. Each hunt lasted about twelve hours with the prey making their way from the 'start zone' to the 'end zone'. There were always several safe zones where you couldn't be hunted and you could rest for a while and get some food and water. After seeing the boys shot and killed and rescuing the one guy who'd been missed by the hunters, she'd grabbed some water and an energy bar and rested while she'd refreshed herself. It was never wise to stay long in a safe zone, so Buffy had only rested there for ten minutes before heading out again. Because she preferred to run alone, being the slayer she could run faster than anyone else, she made it to the end zone with time to spare. Not wanting to draw attention to herself for arriving too quickly she hid in amongst some the ruins until the first normal girls turned up.

Now she was back at the camp where she and the other prey spent their time between hunts, she was looking forward to getting cleaned up, putting on some clothes and having something to eat. Climbing the half dozen steps that led up to the hut's door, Buffy sighed with relief as she walked inside. The hut held fifty bunk beds which meant there was room for a hundred girls, at roll call this morning there'd been seventy-six inmates, she wondered how many there'd be tomorrow morning. Not bothering to go to her bunk, Buffy headed for the washroom at the far end of the hut.

The toilets and wash basins were exactly like the ones she was used to at home; in fact Buffy was pretty sure that they were either exact copies or ones brought from Earth. After using the toilet, she went over to the 'shower'. While the basins and the toilets were completely familiar the showers were something else completely. They looked exactly like door frames but without doors. There were half a dozen of them lined up side-by-side with a queue of girls in front of each of them, waiting their turn. Joining, the end of one queue, Buffy took a step forward every time a girl stepped through the 'door'. Soon it was her turn, stepping through the opening she felt her skin tingle for a second. Stepping from the door, Buffy found herself miraculously clean; it didn't matter how muddy or sweaty you were, stepping through the magic doorway got you spotlessly clean...it even, somehow, untangled and combed your hair.

Clean again, Buffy headed over to the clothes dispenser, while in camp you were allowed to wear clothes. Pressing her right thumb against a smooth, glass-like panel, she waited for a moment for the machine to dispense her plastic wrapped clothes. Buffy suspected that the plate read her thumb print or somehow worked out who she was. However the machine did it, Buffy always got clothes that fitted her perfectly and had the same symbols printed on them every time she used the machine. Her, and in fact everyone's clothes, consisted of a pair of snugly fitting shorts and a sleeveless, figure hugging, crop top. Everyone's clothes were in a shade of red, from pale pink to dark, almost black, red. Buffy's clothes were always the same shade of scarlet. There were no shoes, but she was used to that now and the soles of her feet were hardening up so it didn't bother her. On the front of her crop top was a line of six, black, symbols. Each symbol was about an inch high, Buffy guessed they were numbers. Under these numbers was a much larger symbol, as this symbol was exactly the same on everyone's top, Buffy had tentatively guessed that it meant, 'girl' or 'female' or possibly 'prey'.

Not bothering to get dressed straight away, Buffy had little modesty left after more than eight weeks at the camp, she walked over to her alcove. Each set of bunks was attached to an 'L' shaped panel so that when the bunks were lined up side by side they formed little, semi-private, alcoves about six foot by eight. Buffy had an alcove to herself, this was either luck or because the other girls thought she was weird. Breaking the seal on the packaging, Buffy was just getting her clothes out of their wrapping as she walked into her alcove.

“Hi!” cried a cheerful voice from the lower bunk, “I'm Crystal!”

The girl, she was about the same height as Buffy and had hair even blonder than her's, jumped to her feet and held out her hand, she looked really pleased to see her bunk mate.

“Huh!?” Buffy replied in surprise while at the same time cursing the fact that it now looked as if she had a roomie.

“Crystal,” repeated the girl, her eyes were incredibly blue and bright.

“Erm...” for a moment Buffy couldn't remember her own name, she was so surprised; after standing there for several seconds, stupidly making goldfish motions with her mouth, her name suddenly came back to her, “Buffy!” the word burst from her mouth it was in such a hurry to be said, “Buffy Summers...”

“You're a yank right?” Crystal shook Buffy's hand energetically.

“Um...yeah,” Buffy replied slightly stunned by the bubbly girl's unexpected appearance, “like, totally, California to be precise...”

“Cor!” Crystal let go of Buffy's hand and sort of 'bounced' back to her bunk and sat down again, “I'm from London me-self...Buffy's a cute name,” she added.

“Thanks,” Buffy's opinion of the girl went up a notch or two, it was nice to meet someone who didn't snigger at her name, “have you got another name?” 

Buffy started to put on her clothes, her new found 'friend' was already dressed in a dark pink outfit so Buffy thought she better get dressed too.

“Nah,” Crystal shook her head, “just Crystal...me mum was a bit 'new age' an' didn't believe in surnames...obsolete, patriarchal somefin' or others she used to call 'em. ”

“Like Madonna, or Cher,” Buffy suggested as she zipped up her shorts and pulled on her top, “there that's better...so...” Buffy came to stand in front of the girl, “...what's your story?”

“Me?” Crystal's smile slipped a little for a moment as she gazed out of the window to her left; there wasn't much to see, some weed-like plants, some dusty soil and a wall just a little too high for Buffy to jump over. “The usual I suppose...” she sighed heavily, “...I remember going to the testing centre an' a really bright light, then I remember bein' in a big room with 'undreds of other people an' a yellow mist coming down from the ceiling then I musta fallen asleep...you?”

“About the same,” Buffy admitted as she sat down beside Crystal; she was thinking that Crystal wasn't like the other girls in the hut, she seemed 'normal' a little like herself, “but I remember being strapped to a table and having things injected into me, do you remember anything like that?”

“Nah,” Crystal shook her head again, “but I remember wakin' up...” she glanced at Buffy, “...I was in this huge dormitory place with like 'undreds of other girls, everyone was crying and naked and didn't know what was goin' on. Then some older girls in white uniforms like the fings you see people wearing in hospital...”

“Scrubs?” Buffy asked.

“Yeah, that's it,” Crystal nodded, “they got us organised an' made us take showers in them funny door things, you seen 'em too, right?”

“Yeah,” Buffy gestured to the far end of the hut, “we've got a few here.”

“They don't 'arf make ya clean, don't they?”

“Like, you wouldn't believe,” Buffy agreed with a grin.

“Anyway, where was I?”

“Showers,” Buffy prompted.

“Yeah, right, showers,” Crystal took a deep breath, “well, we stayed there for a couple of days then the women in the uniforms organised everyone into groups of twenty or so an' took 'em away.”

“That musta been scary,” Buffy observed.

“Well, I was a bit scared, but then I thought they wouldn't bring us all that way just to kill us,” Crystal explained, “I mean they'd 'ave to be complete wankers to do that, wouldn't they?”

“Totally,” Buffy agreed with a quiet snigger, knowing Giles hadn't quite prepared her for meeting Crystal, “what happened next?”

“We was sold that's wot!” Crystal sounded more annoyed than alarmed now.

“Sold?”

“Yeah, I was sold to this big ol' demon guy,” Crystal continued, “it was pretty obvious what 'e wanted me for...”

“Sex?” Buffy quieried quietly.

“Too bleedin' right!” Crystal sounded outraged, but then surprised Buffy with her next words, “But it wasn't so bad...I mean I'm eighteen an' I'm 'ardly a blushin' virgin,” she shrugged, “An' like I say it wasn't so bad, in fact it was fun to begin wiv. Like when we did it there wasn't so much in an' out as more round an' round...like I had a snake or somefin' inside me...it'd all seemed like a bit of a dream...a scary, weird, dream, but a dream just the same.”

This was more information than Buffy really wanted.

“It was all okay, I suppose right up until he started to tie me up and beat me with a whip before 'e screwed me...!

“Oh my...!” Buffy gasped as she put a supportive arm around the other girl's shoulder.

“I said to me-self, 'Crystal my girl, I'm not putting up with this, this isn't what my mum told me sex was abaht', so I 'it 'im over the 'ead with a vase first chance I got an' ran away!”

“Yay for Crystal!” Buffy cheered as she hugged the girl.

“But it didn't work out coz I'm 'ere now ain't I?” Crystal pointed out the obvious flaw in her plan.

“Well, yeah,” Buffy felt the need to be supportive, “but it showed the right spirit...”

“Whatever,” Crystal shrugged again, “look I might 'ave showed the 'bulldog spirit' an' all that, but I don't fink I was free for more than an 'our maybe less.”

“Doesn't matter,” Buffy replied forcefully, “you've done more than I have and I'm the...” Buffy stopped herself from saying the word 'slayer', “...well, whatever...”

“Yeah, whatever,” Crystal took a deep breath, “anyway I got picked up by the demon cops an' ended up 'ere, wherever 'ere is,” she looked around the alcove for a moment, “'ow did you end up 'ere, then?”

Buffy told her story which was pretty similar to Crystal's, only Buffy remembered more about being on the ship than Crystal did, but she had no recollection of anything between passing out on the ship and waking up in the camp.

“So wot goes on 'ere then?” Crystal wanted to know as she took another look at the blank wall outside the window; Buffy explained.

“WOT!?” Crystal cried, “'unted? Like animals?”

“Erm, yeah,” Buffy nodded.

“An' everyone lets 'em get away wiv it?” Crystal sounded incredibly shocked.

“Looks like,” Buffy admitted, “I tried to get people to like, totally fight back but...”

“But?”

“Well...” Buffy screwed up her face in helplessness, “...everyone except you an' me seems like totally drugged or something...”

“Yeah right,” Crystal's jaw set in determination to _do_ something, “next you'll be tellin' me they enjoy bein' 'unted...I can see 'ow my mum was so set against fox 'untin' now.”

“Ah...” Buffy hesitated not sure how Crystal would take what she was going to say.

“Ah?” Crystal turned her head to look into Buffy's eyes her bright blue eyes boring into Buffy's green.

“There's no good way of saying this, so I'm just going to say it,” Buffy took a deep breath, “From what I've seen and heard...I think they do...”

“Do wot?”

“Like it...the girls I mean...”

“You mean to tell me they enjoy being 'unted!?” it was obvious that Crystal couldn't believe her ears.

“Uh-huh,” Buffy nodded.

“Flippin' 'eck, Buffy!”

Buffy got the impression that the phrase 'flippin' 'eck' was a euphemism for a much stronger exclamation, it then occurred to her that she hadn't noticed Crystal actually swear, well not badly.

“And other stuff...” Buffy added.

“You mean the sex wiv demons stuff?”

“Worse.”

“Oh lord luv a duck!”

“Huh?”

“This 'as got to stop, Buffy me girl,” Crystal said the self-righteousness in her voice getting stronger with each word, “We've gotta organise, form a Union or somefin'...so, why are they like that?”

“Wot...” Buffy blinked and shook her head, “...I mean 'what? The girls liking being hunted or the demon guys liking hunting people...they also hunt boys,” Buffy explained as she gestured to the window, “they're kept in the camp the other side of the wall.”

“Well, lets start wiv the girls...”

“Okay...” Buffy said slowly as she thought things out, “...okay I got a theory...”

“Right, lets 'ear it then.”

“Like I remember being injected with something,” Buffy began slowly but got more confident the more she thought her idea through, “maybe it was something like drugs to keep people docile and obedient?”

“So why ain't we affected, then?”

“Maybe I'm immune,” Buffy suggested, it made sense to her; with her slayer metabolism perhaps she'd fought off whatever had been pumped into her.

“Okay that explains you, wot abaht me?”

“Erm...” Buffy thought hard for a moment or two until she thought she'd come up with an answer, “...you said everything felt like a dream until the demon started to whip you, right...?”

“Right!” Crystal exclaimed, “I get it, the pain must have let me break the control of wotever they did to us...”

“So all we have to do is cause someone pain to break the...NO!” Buffy cried as Crystal got up, walked out of the alcove and punched the first girl she saw on the nose.

“OW!” cried Crystal's unfortunate victim as she fell to the floor clutching her bleeding nose between her hands.

“Nah,” Crystal walked back into her and Buffy's alcove, “I don't fink that's it.”

“Maybe its different for different people,” Buffy suggested still slightly stunned; she was used to people like Cordelia just coming out and saying stuff without thinking, but she'd never met anyone who just punched people without warning.

“Yeah,” Crystal agreed as she looked at Buffy closely again, “look, Buffy, I could 'ave got me-self knocked up an' not got chosen. But I wanted to come 'ere an' find out wot was goin' on, to stop these buggers before they bugger up the world like.” Crystal took hold of Buffy's hand, “You wanna 'elp me hit these bastards f' six right outta the galaxy?”

“Totally,” Buffy gasped, “that's why I came too...” she grinned conspiratorially, “...lets like do it!”

“Cool,” Crystal smiled but didn't let go of Buffy's hand, “now we've got that settled, how do you feel about a little girl on girl action?” 

“Sorry?” Buffy wondered if Crystal meant what she thought she meant in which case...

“Look,” Crystal leaned gently against Buffy, “I don't know abaht you but I'm used to 'avin' regular sex, an' as there's no boys abaht and unless we can get over that wall, it's goin' to get real lonely on these dark, cold...”

“Its not that cold...” Buffy pointed out quickly, “...and there's plenty of spare blankets!”

“...nights...so wot ya say? Wanna curl up with me or do we start a tunnel like in 'The Great Escape'?”

0=0=0=0


	10. Chapter 10

10.

**Christmas, Revelo Drive.**

“...I'm glad to see that Cordelia and Willow seem to have worked out their differences,” Giles said as Joyce and himself walked into the living room.

The two adults were taking the opportunity for some peace and quiet while the 'youngsters' cleared up after the Christmas dinner that Joyce and Dawn had prepared.

“Then you didn't notice the game of, 'My baby's smarter and cuter than your baby'?” Joyce smiled as she sat down in an armchair and took a sip from her wine glass.

“Erm,” Giles frowned, “not as such, no,” he sat down in a chair opposite Joyce's; it might be the wine talking but he couldn't help thinking what an attractive woman Joyce Summers was.

“Poor Rupert,” Joyce laughed as she realised that it must have been months since she'd genuinely laughed like that, “I can call you Rupert?”

“Only if I can call you Joyce,” Giles smiled back, “I think we've known each other long enough now to be on first name terms...so what's all this about a game?”

“Didn't you notice it?” Joyce asked, “I know Cordelia and Willow both have their history with Xander...”

“Yes the youth of today, eh?” Giles nodded wisely.

“Yes they're almost as bad as we were don't you think...Rupert?” Joyce glanced at the wine glass in her hand and wondered if it was going to her head because she was starting to find Rupert Giles extremely handsome, “Erm...where was I?”

“As bad as we were?” Giles replied; yes, he admitted to himself, his own youth, the 'Ripper years' as he sometimes thought of them, had been pretty 'wild'.

“Right,” Joyce sipped her wine again, “so now instead of fighting over Xander...I think they both realise that would be a bad idea...they're now getting at each other through their children, do you see?”

“Ah yes I understand now,” Giles nodded his head, now that he thought about it he had noticed the pointed way in which Willow had explained to Cordelia how clever her daughter Sophia was, while Cordelia pointed out what a cute baby her son James was.

“So, Joyce,” Giles thought it was time to change the subject, he'd never understand what made women tick, “how are you coping?”

“Without Buffy you mean?” Joyce thought about that as she sipped her wine again; that, she thought, was a very good question.

“Yes,” Giles nodded as he sat back in his chair, he'd heard some of what had happened second hand from Willow but he wanted to hear it for himself and check that Joyce was on the road to recovery.

“It was hard at first,” Joyce admitted, “thinking I could have done more, been more forceful about her getting pregnant. I admit it, I fell into a deep depression there for a while, but after Thanksgiving I sort of remembered that I had another daughter who needed me...” 

“Yes, Dawn...” Giles agreed quietly, “...how is she coping?”

“Oh...” Joyce signed heavily, “...I'm ashamed to admit it but I think she's dealing with it better than I am.”

“Buffy and Dawn were very close I believe?”

“Yes,” Joyce nodded, “even with the age difference they were still very close, I think Dawn knew from the very beginning that Buffy wouldn't be coming back...” Joyce looked at Giles and gave him a very penetrating look, “...do you know why she decided not to...you know...get pregnant and not be taken?”

“She never said anything to you?” Giles asked and Joyce shook her head.

“No, she acted as if she'd be back right up to the point they came to collect her in that damn bus of theirs,” Joyce started to search for something to wipe away the tears that were forming in her eyes.

“Here,” Giles handed her his own clean, white handkerchief.

“Thank-you,” Joyce dabbed at her eyes and forced a dry laugh, “as you can see I'm not exactly 'over it'.”

“And I wouldn't expect you to be,” Giles sympathised, “its obvious to me that you loved Buffy very much, I think everyone who knew her did. I can only offer you a crumb of comfort by saying that wherever Buffy is she'll be doing her best to come back to you and Dawn and the rest of us...”

0=0=0=0

Standing in the doorway from the little box room between the kitchen and the living room, Willow watched as Giles did his best to comfort Joyce.

“Willow,” Dawn called as she joined Willow, “where's Mom and Mr Giles I wanna see if they want coffee or...”

“Not now Dawnie,” Willow smiled as she turned, took hold of Dawn's arm and led her back into the kitchen, “your Mom and Giles are talking...”

“But...” Dawn tried to pull her arm free from Willow's grip...and failed.

“Hey guys,” Willow cried with false jollity as she jerked her head towards the hall, “why don't we all go upstairs _through the dinning room_ and see what Dawn's doing to Buffy's old room?”

“Why...?” Cordelia was about to ask but a look from Xander silenced her just before she said something that might have spoiled the day.

“Yes!” Xander agreed rapidly, he'd caught the warning look from Willow, after all he'd known her since early childhood and they could almost communicate without words, “I think that's a great idea, Willow, why don't you lead the way?”

“Right,” Willow went out through the kitchen almost dragging Dawn through the dinning room.

“Hey!” Dawn complained as Willow pushed her towards the stairs and Willow stood so as to prevent her from seeing into the family room.

Not knowing why everyone, except Cordy, was acting so weird, Dawn led them all up to Buffy's old room.

“Hey, Dawnie,” Willow smiled as she looked into Buffy's old bedroom and remembered all the times Buffy and herself had hung out there, “you're doing a great job.”

The ceiling had been repainted as had the walls, however there was still the wood work to do.

“Yeah,” Dawn agreed a little sadly, “I've been doing it after school...Mom bought all the paint and stuff and said I could decorate it anyway I wanted.”

“Brave woman...” Willow muttered under her breath.

“Hey,” Xander examined the join where the ceiling and wall met, “this is good work,” he nodded professionally, “wanna come and work on my crew?”

“Thanks,” Dawn shrugged, “maybe...we, Mom and me, wanted to change everything so it isn't Buffy's room anymore...but I guess it'll always be Buffy's room, y'know?”

“I think I do,” Willow agreed with a nod.

“Erm what did you do with all her things?” Cordelia asked after giving the room a cursory glance, “Like her shoes?”

“Cordy,” Xander said warningly.

“Hey,” Cordy cried, “we might not have been the best of friends and quite honestly Buffy's fashion sense stank, but I'll say this for her, she knew her shoes and boots and we were more or less the same size.”

“Cordy!” Willow and Xander cried in chorus.

“Its okay guys,” Dawn smiled sadly, “all her clothes and stuff went to the thrift shop...”

“Which one?” Cordy wanted to know.

“The one at the end of Main Street,” Dawn replied before anyone could tell Cordy to 'shut up'.

“Did you keep anything of hers?” Willow asked quietly.

“Sure,” Dawn nodded, “I kept some of her jewellery and things and then there were some photos of you guys that I think she'd want you to have...and...” Dawn paused for just a moment, “...erm...”

“What's wrong Dawn?” Cordy asked in a surprisingly sympathetic tone of voice, perhaps it was the thought of all those boots and shoes that was mellowing her.

“Erm...” Dawn hesitated again, “...okay, I know this is going to sound weird but...do any of you guys know why she had so many swords and axes and knives and sharp pieces of wood hidden away?”

“Erm...” Willow gasped.

“Well...” Xander began.

“It was because she was...” Cordy was interrupted by a baby's cry from Joyce's room.

“That'll be your James,” Willow said immediately, “Sophia doesn't cry like that.”

“Are you trying to say that your _Sophia_ doesn't cry...and did I say what a totally pretentious name _Sophia_ , is?” Cordy snapped as she headed out the door and down the corridor.

“And _James_ isn't?” Willow asked as she shot off in pursuit of Cordy leaving Dawn and Xander alone together.

Dawn looked up at Xander and Xander looked down at Dawn before they both rolled their eyes at each other.

“Hey,” Xander said quietly, “you're lucky you don't have to live with her.”

“You guys are okay, okay?” Dawn asked.

“Yeah,” Xander shrugged, “its a work in progress but I think we'll get there...one day.”

“So,” Dawn walked over to the closet in the corner of the room by the window; she opened the door to reveal an old travelling trunk before opening the lid to show Xander all Buffy's old weapons, “why did my sister keep all this stuff?”

“Dawn,” Xander sighed as he came to stand next to Dawn, “there's a few things that I think you should know about your sister...”

“Like she was a secret axe murderer or something?” Dawn asked as she picked up one of Buffy's axes.

“No,” Xander shook his head slowly, “nothing like that...” he took a deep breath, “...you see Buffy was special...and I mean special with a capital 'S'...”

0=0=0=0

“There's one of the babies,” Joyce looked up at the ceiling at the sound of the child's cry.

“Willow and Cordelia are both upstairs,” Giles explained, “I expect they'll manage.”

“Yes I expect they will,” Joyce admitted, “sometimes I forget they're not children themselves any more.”

“Yes,” Giles agreed, “they've grown up remarkably in the last few months.”

“I'm surprised how well Xander and Cordelia are getting on,” Joyce smiled, “married life seems to be suiting them and what with Willow going of to college in the fall, it only seems like yesterday they were hanging out in Buffy's room...things have changed so much in such a short time.”

“Erm, talking of change,” Giles glanced at the stairs and listened for any sign that four noisy young people wouldn't be joining them anytime soon, he guessed he was safe for a little longer, “have you been following the news lately?”

“Oh yes!” Joyce gasped, “Those riots in Los Angeles and New York...”

“Yes,” Giles nodded in agreement, “things like that have been happening all over the world,” he explained, “in fact things are likely to get worse before they get better.”

Since The Others had taken their latest batch of teenagers, people had been demanding that their governments and the militarises of the world do something to stop it from happening again. Giles knew better than most that there was nothing anyone could do to stop The Others from doing exactly what they pleased. There was no secret alien base at the South Pole that could be attacked. There were no giant space ships in orbit that some plucky hero could infiltrate and destroy by overloading the ship's power systems. There was nothing to upload a deadly computer virus into because The Others simply didn't show themselves.

Even during the week that it took The Others to collect their tribute, although everyone knew there had to be ships of some kind in orbit around Earth no one had seen anything. And that included the crew of the International Space Station and the probes that the US, Russia, China, Japan and Europe had put into orbit. There was simply no sign of The Others, it had become obvious that they could come and go as they pleased and there was nothing the peoples of Earth could do about it.

Even the Council had failed. They'd cast powerful magics to locate and hit back at The Others. But, whatever technology these aliens were using appeared to be immuned to magic, which Giles had sort of guessed they might. Any society powerful enough to remove all supernatural threats from Earth and close the Hellmouths would probably be unaffected by a few spells cast by old men and women from a dark, dank basement in London. However, Giles did think it was strange how magic still worked, true some people believed that 'magic' was somehow connected to the very 'soul' of the planet, but he's never studied the origins of magic that much, perhaps it was time to start.

“What do you mean, Rupert,” there was just a hint of fear in Joyce's voice now, “worse before they get better?”

“Well,” just for a moment Giles wondered how much he should tell Joyce; he didn't wonder for long, she deserved to know as much of the truth that he thought she could handle, “as you can tell I'm from Britain...”

“Hard not to,” Joyce smiled.

“Yes, well,” Giles harrumphed, “what you probably don't know because I don't bandy it about, is that before I came to America I worked for a sort of...” Giles wondered how he was going to explain The Council of Watchers, “...erm...security organisation...”

“You're not a real live James Bond are you?” Joyce asked excitedly; she loved the James Bond films and had often fantasised about having an affair with a handsome, debonair, English spy.

“No I'm afraid I'm not,” Giles noticed the eager look on Joyce's face fade and he wondered if he should have run with the spy story, “at least not in the traditional sense of film spies,” he noticed Joyce brighten a little at this information, “Spies aside,” he continued manfully, “I still have contacts in the 'business' and these contacts of mine have access to information that the public wouldn't generally get to see...”

In fact most of what Giles knew had been gleaned from the work of the Council's most powerful Seers.

“Oh my god,” Joyce's eyes went round as her hand went to her mouth, “you really are a spy!”

“No!” Giles was now almost regretting bringing the subject up, Joyce was fixating on the wrong things, “Look, the information that I have appears to indicate that after the next visit by The Others, or perhaps even before it, society will collapse into anarchy!”

“Anarchy?”

“Yes Anarchy,” Giles said as sternly as he could, he needed to convince Joyce that there was a danger and what he was saying was in fact real.

“How do you mean anarchy?” Joyce asked with surprisingly little panic in her voice.

“Civil unrest, like the rioting that's happening now and possibly insurrection maybe even civil war,” Giles explained.

“Oh no,” Joyce gasped once more, “what can we do to stop it?”

“Well,” Giles smiled despite the seriousness of the situation, “the surest thing to do would be to stop The Others from taking anymore teenagers...”

“And we'd do this how?”

“From the information that I have,” Giles admitted, “that isn't going to happen anytime soon if ever.”

“So, what do we do instead?”

“My...” Giles hesitated for a second or two, “...the organisation I worked for wants me to go home, but...”

“But?”

“But I've decided that I'd rather stay here and help out the best that I can,” Giles admitted.

“So, how do I protect myself and Dawn if there's going to be riots and wars?” Joyce wanted to know.

“By preparing...” Giles would have said more but the sound of running feet from above interrupted him.

A moment later a distressed looking Dawn appeared in the doorway and glared at Giles in anger. Behind her stood a slightly out of breath Xander Harris.

“Sorry, Watcher-man I couldn't stop her,” he admitted.

“W-what?” for the first time in a long time Giles was lost for words.

“Why didn't you tell me!” Dawn demanded as she crossed the room to stand in front of Giles.

“Tell you what?” Giles asked seeing for a moment a flash of Buffy in Dawn's angry eyes.

“Don't play the innocent, Mr Giles,” Dawn's voice was as cold as ice, “why didn't you tell mom and me that Buffy was this slayer girl!”

0=0=0=0

**Buffy and Crystal.**

“Too 'igh to jump over,” Crystal pointed out as she and Buffy strolled along the wall the next day, “Anyone leave any 'andy ladders lyin' 'round?”

“Not that I've seen,” Buffy admitted, “but there's something on top of the wall to stop you climbing over.”

“Like wot,” Crystal stopped and gazed towards the top of the wall, “I don't see nuffin'.”

“Watch,” Buffy cast around for a stone or pebble, seeing one she picked it up and tossed it upwards; just as it looked as if the stone would fly over the wall it flashed into blue sparks and vanished.

“Wow!” Crystal gasped impressed, “'ow you find out abaht that? I guessin' ya didn't climb up there coz you're not burnt to a frazzle.”

“Frazzle?” Buffy queried.

“Y'know,” Crystal giggled, “like with all ya 'air all burnt an' smokin'.”

“Oh yeah,” Buffy smiled as she remembered childhood cartoons, “No, I saw a bat thing try and land on the wall like...”

“Like poof?” Crystal made a soft 'explosion' sound.

“Believe me when I say uh-huh,” Buffy nodded, “like there wasn't even a grease stain.”

“So no climbing over,” Crystal sighed sadly, “we'll 'ave to dig a tunnel...”

“Are you totally sure we should be using our energies like this?” Buffy wanted to know, “I mean it sounds like we'll be tunnelling from one part of the camp into another.”

“Yeah but the other part of the camp's got boys in it,” Crystal replied with a grin.

“Do you think that should be like our top priority?” Buffy asked, “Aren't we supposed to be totally plotting the downfall of these demon guys and not trying to get laid?”

“Look Buffy,” Crystal turned very serious, “I've got to go on one of these 'ere 'unts tomorrow, thinking abaht getting at the boys on the other side of that there wall is abaht the only thing wot's 'oldin' me together, right now.”

“Right,” Buffy said as she put her arm around Crystal's shoulder, “sorry, I mean, we could always try the girl on girl stuff,” despite her words, Buffy didn't sound overly convinced, “If you want I...”

“Nah,” Crystal shook her head, “I can tell ya not that keen...we'll leave it for now, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Buffy couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

“No need to sound so relieved,” Crystal pointed out with a smile, “I ain't that ugly!”

0=0=0=0


	11. Chapter 11

11.

**Harmony**

“I'm like, so totally bored!” Harmony complained, “Can't we make out or something?” 

Her new owner seemed nice, but he did expected her to sit around his office all day with nothing to do other than look cute and sexy. Okay, yes, Harmony knew she could do that anytime but all day every day? No, that was going to far, she knew she was his property and she had to do as she was told, which was fine, but there were limits.

“No,” D-Racip replied as he looked up from the computer pad he was working on; just for a moment he did consider 'making out' with his new pet; but, he needed to finish this report and he had to go to a meeting in half an hour.

“But...” Harmony began but was quickly cut off my D-Racip.

“Why don't you use the games consul?” D-Racip gestured to the helmet and control box that was resting on the table next to where Harmony lay on the couch.

“Games?” Harmony sat up and looked around, “What games, what consul?”

Coming out from behind his desk D-Racip showed Harmony how to put the helmet on and connect it up to the games consul.

“There,” he smiled down at his pet, “all you need to do is switch it on its completely intuitive as to how it works.”

“You sure?” Harmony asked uncertainly, she'd never been very good at computer games; however it was better than doing nothing.

“Yes,” D-Racip sat down behind his desk and picked up his pad, “now let me get on with my work.”

“Yes Master,” Harmony sighed as she switched on the consul, a moment later she said, “Wow...!”

0=0=0=0

**Buffy and Crystal.**

It was like the start of the world's biggest marathon race for nudists, almost two-thousand human 'prey' were crowded into the start zone. Of this two-thousand quarry about ten-percent of them were girls and two of that ten-percent were standing somewhere in the middle of the crowd.

“Is this normal?” Crystal asked Buffy as they were jostled and pushed backwards and forwards by the natural movement of the crowd.

“No,” Buffy called over the general hubbub of voices, “I've never been in a hunt with so many people,” she explained, “usually there's like maybe a couple of hundred at most.”

“So this is unusual,” it was more of a statement than a question.

“Totally,” Buffy confirmed with a nod, “look we don't want to be here...”

“You're tellin' me!” Crystal laughed humourlessly.

“No,” Buffy shook her head for extra emphasis, “I mean we totally don't want to be in the centre of the crowd, we need to be near the edge,” Buffy pointed at right angles to the start line, “over that way.”

“I thought being in the middle was good,” Crystal said as Buffy took her by the hand and started to pull her towards the edge of the crowd, “like being in a shoal of fish.”

“That works for fish,” Buffy elbowed a guy out of her way, “but for humans it just makes you a totally bigger target.”

“Yeah I get that,” Crystal mused; she noticed Buffy push a guy over because he didn't get out her way quick enough, “hey you're strong.”

“I work out,” Buffy admitted.

As she pushed, shoved, elbowed and yes punched her way through the crowd trailing Crystal behind her, Buffy overheard snatches of conversation from the quarry as they waited to start the hunt.

“...this is gonna be the best hunt, ever!”

“...if I'm going to get shot I hope its only after the hunters chased me for miles...”

“...I wonder if I'll get raped this time, one of my girlfriends said being raped by a hunter is wicked cool...!”

It sickened Buffy to hear people talk like this, as if they were things simply to supply the hunters with entertainment, which of course they were.

“Is it always like this?” Crystal asked as they came to a halt near the edge of the crowd, “Y'know, wiv wot people are sayin'?”

“Yeah,” Buffy turned to face her friend, she wanted to hug Crystal so much, she'd tried to cut herself off from the other girls in her hut as much as possible and she'd succeeded. But, the result was that she felt so lonely and helpless. Now she had Crystal to talk to, she suddenly felt that there might be hope again...what the hell, Buffy thought as she wrapped Crystal in a tight embrace.

“Hey!” Crystal laughed, “Ya fink this is the time an' place to make out?”

“No...” Buffy let go of Crystal and wiped at her eyes with her hand, “...I just...”

“I know,” Crystal gave Buffy another hug, “you're scared and lonely.”

“Usually nothing scares me its just...”

“Like its all weird an' scary, right?”

“Right,” Buffy nodded.

“Okay then,” Crystal let go of Buffy and stepped back half a pace, “wot do we do?”

“Okay,” Buffy finished drying her eyes and took a deep breath, “we try and keep away from the main groups; the hunters will congregate around them. We go as far as we can out to one side, but don't think for one minute there won't be hunters there too, they're not stupid so keep your eyes open.”

“Got it,” Crystal said as a thoughtful look crossed her face, “Hey Buff...”

“Uh-huh,” Buffy was looking towards the centre of the crowd, her senses were telling her that the hunt was about to begin.

“Wot's to stop us just running away?”

“Huh?” Buffy gave her friend a puzzled look.

“Look,” Crystal gestured to the expanse of grassland dotted with clumps of bushes and trees that lay in front of them, “wot's to stop us just walkin' off? I mean is there a big fence or somefin'?”

“Y'know...” Buffy looked at Crystal with new found respect, “...I don't know, like I've never even thought of going to look I've always been too busy not getting shot and raped by these things.”

“Maybe we should go an' 'ave a butchers?” Crystal suggested.

“Butchers?”

“Butcher's 'ook, look.”

“Look? Oh yeah I get it...yeah maybe...” Buffy was about to agree but her words were cut off by the sound of a very loud siren.

“Wot the flippin' 'eck is that!?” Crystal cried out as she covered her ears with her hands.

“That's the signal to start running,” Buffy cried back just before the siren stopped its insane wailing.

All around them people started to run or jog forward spreading out a little over the undulating terrain as they did so.

“Shouldn't we start?” Crystal asked.

“No, not yet,” Buffy started to explain, “let them get ahead of us, there's still a little time before we have to move.”

“I get it,” Crystal nodded, “let the losers get ahead of us and form a screen between us an' the 'unters.”

“Yeah, that's about it,” Buffy agreed, “I don't like using people like that but...”

“If it keeps you alive an' un-screwed for a little while longer...” she gave Buffy's arm a gentle squeeze, “We'll make these bastards pay for all this.”

“Come on,” Buffy started to jog towards the start line, there were only a few prey left now the others had rushed off in their eagerness to be hunted, “time to move.”

0=0=0=0

“Its important to keep a good steady pace,” Buffy called over her shoulder as she jogged along slightly ahead of Crystal; while she had no problem with running all day, she was worried that Crystal might not be able to keep up, “we've probably got ten or twelve miles to cover before we get to the end zone and we've got to do that before 'time out'.”

“Doesn't sound so 'ard,” Crystal had quickly got her second wind and was easily keeping up with Buffy, “an' don't worry about me keepin' up, I ran the London Marathon...twice.”

“Cool,” Buffy smiled glad that she wouldn't be held back, “but don't forget that there's demons out there hunting us.”

“Yeah, 'ow does that work?” Crystal stepped up her pace a little so she was running next to Buffy and there was no need to talk so loudly, “I mean there's lots of ground to cover, 'ow do they 'unt us?”

“I think they use those tracker things everyone's got in them now,” Buffy explained; when the Others came everyone under the age of nineteen suddenly acquired a tiny metal 'thing' implanted under their skin.

“Yeah,” Crystal looked sad, “a couple of my mates back in London tried to cut them out...they died wiv in a day of doin' it.”

“Another thing these demons will pay for,” Buffy reassured her.

“So 'untin'?” Crystal seemed determined to find out as much about her new home as she could, “Wot do they do? Like, do they ride around on 'orses blowin' trumpets an' yellin' tally-'o, like a bunch of upper class tossers?”

“Erm...” Buffy tried to translate Crystal's question into Californian English, “...not so much. What they like to do is stretch out in a line across the route people will take. Once they get into contact they sort of fold in and begin to surround their quarry...the fun starts when the people try and filter through the gaps in the hunter's line.”

“I get it,” Crystal nodded and then asked, “wot do they get out of it? The 'unters I mean.”

“Prizes?” Buffy shrugged, “I don't know, maybe they get points. One for a 'stun', five for a kill, ten if they get a girl and...”

“Yeah I get it,” Crystal came to a halt, “'old on,” she called as Buffy slowed and came to a stop.

“Are you okay?” Buffy said concerned that her friend was too tired to go on.

“I'm fine,” Crystal did indeed look 'fine' she was hardly breathing heavily, “I've bin finkin'. We've bin doing pretty well I thought we'd go look at this 'ere fence or whatever it is.”

“I don't know,” Buffy looked from Crystal and then back in the direction they'd been running, “y'know, time out...” she was having unfamiliar feelings of doubt and worry.

“What happens if we don't finish by this 'time out'?”

Buffy shrugged, she'd always finished the hunt in plenty of time and she didn't know anyone who hadn't.

“Right,” Crystal advanced on Buffy and put her arm around the American girl's shoulder and gave her an affectionate squeeze, “tell ya wot we'll do, we'll go this way,” Crystal pointed vaguely in a direction at about ninety degrees from the way they'd been travelling, “just for awhile. See if we can find a perimeter or somefin' if we can't we'll 'ead off for this end zone place, okay?”

“Okay,” Buffy replied uncertainly.

Trotting along in silence together, Buffy tried to work out why she wasn't her normal positive self; she had the distinct feeling that even if she went up against a new fledged vamp just now she'd be dead. The stuff that had happened to her since she'd been taken must have taken more out of her than she realised. Plus there was the fact that everything looked so hopeless, she'd allowed herself to be taken (even after she'd started to have second thoughts) so she could find out what was happening to people once The Others took them. So far she'd achieved nothing in fact Crystal had asked more questions in the forty-eight hours they'd been together than she had in the last, what was it, eight or nine weeks? It was then it dawned on her what was wrong, she'd got used to having her friends around to help and support her. Here she'd been by herself with no one to talk to and bounce ideas off. No one to laugh with and just hang out with. But now Crystal was here, she was her new 'Scooby', now they were together, she felt sure they'd win out together. Running up behind Crystal, Buffy pulled her into a really tight bear hug.

“Hey!” Crystal said in surprise as Buffy wrapped her arms around the English girl. “Wots...hey you're really strong...now its gettin' difficult to breath...Buffy?”

0=0=0=0

The two girls had covered about a mile-and-a-half before they found the perimeter. They'd been about to turn back when Buffy's sharp eyes had picked out something shining in the bright sunlight so they'd run on for a minute or two longer. What they found was a pole or a mast about twelve feet high, down two of its sides it had what looked like small satellite TV dishes pointing towards the masts set into the ground fifty yards either side of the one they'd found.

“I'm betting these are like whatever's on top of the wall,” Buffy mused.

“I'm betting you're right,” Crystal picked up a stone and threw it towards the mast; it flashed into non-existence with a loud 'crack' and a puff of smoke.

“We won't be walking out that way,” Buffy sighed.

“Don't be so sure, Buffy me girl,” Crystal looked at the next mast in line and then the one after that and the one after that; the masts seemed to go off into the distance in an unbroken line either side of the first mast. “Look, I'm finkin' that they must be set at the same distance from each other for a reason...”

“Like they've got a maximum range or something,” Buffy interjected.

“Spot on!” Crystal turned to smile at Buffy, “Y'know ya quite bright...for a Yank!”

“And you'll find I'm quite strong too, for a yank,” Buffy pointed out.

“Point taken,” Crystal replied with a shrug, Buffy was strong, unnaturally so for someone of her height and build, “I think if we could pull one of these fing's dahn, maybe two we could make a hole an' just walk out.”

“Hey let me...” 

“BUFFY!” Crystal called as she grabbed hold of Buffy's arm and tried to stop her from walking up to the mast, “They've probably thought about that, that fing's probably booby trapped or somefin'.”

“Oh crap!” Buffy came to a halt, “Thanks, didn't think of that so how do we pull it down if it can be pulled down?”

“A length of rope would be good...” Crystal mused.

“Like, loop it over the top and heave?”

“Got a better idea?”

“Short of explosives, no,” Buffy shook her head.

“Looks like a tough job,” Crystal pointed out.

“You keep saying how strong I am,” Buffy reminded her.

“Yeah...” Crystal looked at Buffy with a calculating eye, “...just 'ow strong are ya, Buff?”

“Strong enough to pull that down,” Buffy gestured to the mast, “and I'm wondering just how clever you are...I mean you've thought of stuff that hadn't entered my mind...and like The Others take the brightest five-percent as well as the dumbest twenty-five...”

“Okay I admit it!” Crystal cried with a grin, “I'm a genius an' you you must be 'supergirl'!”

“Totally,” Buffy grinned back.

“Yeah, my brains an' your muscle we'll kick their arses,” Crystal stepped over to Buffy and hugged her again.

“Erm...Crystal,” Buffy said hesitantly, “I'm starting to get uncomfortable with all the naked hugging...”

“You started it,” Crystal replied as she let Buffy go.

“Did not!”

“Did so!” Crystal claimed as they ran off together bickering gently as they went.

0=0=0=0

It was a couple of hours before time out and the girls were only a mile away from the end zone when they saw their first hunter of the day.

“LOOK OUT!” Buffy yelled as she dragged Crystal behind a large clump of thorn bushes and the hunter's 'paint ball' cracked above their heads, “Hunter!” Buffy put her hand over Crystal's mouth, “Quiet!” 

“Wot are those fings they're firing?” Crystal whispered as they shifted to their left and hopefully away from the hunter.

“Paint balls,” Buffy replied as she peeped between the branches of the thorn tree trying to catch a glimpse of the hunter, he appeared to have vanished.

“Oh yeah,” Crystal remember what Buffy had told her, some stunned you others killed, but girls couldn't be killed; the lethal balls exploded before they got near, she reasoned that it probably had something to do with the tracker everyone had, “Wot do we do now?”

“You stay here while I go out and kill the bastard!”

“But...” Crystal looked around only to find herself alone, “...sneaky _an'_ strong as well as pretty,” she grinned, “looks like me lucks changed.”

Moving stealthily in a wide circle Buffy came up behind the demon hunter, she was within three or four yards of him and it was obvious that the creature hadn't noticed her. The demon was too intent on watching for his prey who he thought was still behind the thorn tree just off to his right. Yes, Buffy was using her friend as bait but there was no way the demon was going to enjoy the fruits of his hunt, in fact this was probably the last hunt the demon would ever go on.

The demon stood up, lifted his gun to his shoulder and sighted along the barrel. Next he started to move cautiously forward unaware that Buffy was only a few feet behind him. Creeping around the bush, the demon only had a few more seconds of life left, just as Crystal's legs came into the demon's view he smiled to himself. He was an experienced hunter, he knew a human female's legs when he saw them. He'd stun her and then enjoy her body before he took a trophy to remember this hunt. He moved another step to his left and just as he was bringing his gun into the aim he felt a mind numbing pain emanating from the small of his back.

Buffy struck, punching the demon in the small of his back, she'd had to reach up and she'd been wondering if she could get enough leverage to make the blow truly effective. She needn't have worried, she clearly heard the creature's spine snap as her fist hit home. The demon gave a soft groan as he fell to his knees, stepping forward Buffy grabbed hold of the back of the demon's head with one hand and his chin with the other. With a shrug of her shoulders she twisted the creature's head to her right, it's neck snapped with a crack like the sound of a dead branch breaking.

“Wow!” Crystal said quietly as she saw the monster fall from Buffy's grasp, she looked at Buffy with a look of fascination plus a little fear, “Wot are you...no!” Crystal forced a smile, “That came out wrong I meant...”

“I know what you meant,” Buffy sighed, “can you wait 'til we get away from here then I'll tell you all about me.”

“Not a problem...” Crystal agreed as she trotted off after Buffy towards the end zone.

0=0=0=0

**D-Racip**

D-Racip returned to his office to find Harmony still plugged into the computer game, he decided to leave her there, she was less of a distraction if she was in the electronic dream-world of the computer's games. Sitting down he told himself that he really needed to find something for her to do all day instead of coming with him to the office. Perhaps he could switch off his apartment's automatic cleaning systems so Harmony could spend her time manually cleaning his home. He'd need to think about this.

But not, he told himself, before he'd thought over the meeting he'd just come from. The meeting had brought up more questions than it had answered, chief amongst them was; how could they get more human females. The market for female human pets had exploded since the last round up, there simply weren't enough to go around and fill all the uses people had thought up for them. Also while the prices for human females had sky rocketed the bottom had dropped out of the human male market. All the meeting had achieved was to target the problem and get the members of the acquisition committee thinking about some answers. They'd agreed to meet again in a few days time.

0=0=0=0


	12. Chapter 12

12.

**Dawn.**

Standing on the sidewalk outside Sunnydale High, Dawn slipped her hand into her school bag to feel the comforting bulk of the Smith and Wesson, point three-eight, snub nose revolver that her mom and Mr Giles insisted she carry with her at all times. Her own school had been burnt down in a post-taking riot started by one of the religious cults that believed 'the taken' went to a better place. Their logic was that as you only stood a chance of being 'taken' if you failed your SATs and as being 'taken' was such a _good_ thing then they might as well spread the goodness around a little and burn down as many schools as they could find. This now meant that Dawn was going to Sunnydale High about a year and a half before she was supposed to.

This wasn't so bad, Dawn had told herself, a lot of her friends would be going with her, her two best friends, Lisa and Janice would be joining her, so that was good. Also Mr Giles would be there; Mr Giles, or Rupert as he'd been insisting that Dawn call him, had been spending a lot of time at her house recently, so much more time than when Buffy was still at home. The thought of her sister's name made Dawn pause a moment as she wondered what had happened to her. Although she still missed Buffy, it didn't hurt so much and she could think about her without crying now; she could even laugh at the memories of the fun things they'd done together when they'd both been little. The grief might be fading but she'd never forget her sister...ever.

It was only as she walked up to the front of the building that she saw the four armed security guards standing just inside the doors searching the students and making them go through a metal detector as they came into the building. The school board had tightened up security because of all the attacks on schools by one bunch of crazies or another. Dawn already knew about the patrols by security officers inside the school; but as long as you didn't do anything stupid or made yourself stand out in some way they were unlikely to search you. However, the metal detector would detect the gun in her bag and she would be in big trouble, she had no wish to see Principle Snyder on her first day after being caught bringing a gun to school.

What to do? Dawn asked herself, she was beginning to get looks from people as they passed by heading towards the entrance. If she wasn't careful one of the guards might notice her and come outside to find out what she was doing. It was then that it struck her, the library, it was on the ground floor and Mr Giles would already be at work. All she had to do was walk around the school, find one of the library's windows, attract Mr Giles' attention and he'd let her in. No doubt he'd want to know why she was climbing in one of his windows instead of using the door like a normal person. But, he couldn't really complain because she had to avoid the door and its metal detector because of the gun he and her mother insisted she carried.

Walking briskly around the school buildings, Dawn soon found herself out of sight of her fellow students and any teachers and security guards who might be watching. All she needed to do now was to find the library, which she now discovered wasn't as easy as she'd first thought. It being her first day, Dawn wasn't too familiar with the layout of the school; she knew that the library was near the rear of the school and there were some trees just outside the windows, but just at the moment she wasn't too sure where the rear of the school was. At that very moment she appeared to be standing next to the faculty parking lot, she smiled at catching a glimpse of Mr Giles' old, beat up, Citroen.

So, she asked herself, if this was the faculty parking lot, which she remembered Mr Giles saying was near the back entrance to the library, so the library must be... As she turned to look at the school again the arrival of a rusty old panel van distracted her. Moving so she was standing behind one of the teacher's cars she watched as the van drove slowly into the lot and stopped between two rows of cars. As she stood there, Dawn found herself putting her hand inside her bag again to feel for the cool metal of the weapon that nestled there; what her sister had called her 'spider sense' and what Dawn was at the moment calling perfectly natural paranoia, was telling her that something wasn't quite right here.

Her suspicions appeared to be confirmed when three young, bearded men dressed in boots, jeans and old camouflaged jackets climbed down from the van. Feeling more than a little frightened, Dawn didn't move or do anything until she saw someone still inside the van start to pass out guns, the sort of guns with those long banana shaped magazines like the ones she'd seen on the TV news. Dropping down out of sight behind the car, Dawn searched frantically inside her bag for her own gun. Now she wanted it she couldn't find it!

“Where are you, you stupid, freaking gun!?” Dawn whispered urgently as she up ended her bag and saw the gun drop out onto the tarmac of the parking lot.

Picking up her revolver, Dawn clasped it in both her hands just like Mr Giles had taught her. It was only then that she noticed the disparity in size between her own weapon and those carried by the terrorists.

“Like I'm going to take on those guys with this,” Dawn told herself quietly as she watched the bad guys as they started to unload what looked like bundles of dynamite and cans of petrol. “Oh, god!” she whimpered with fear, “there going to blow up the school!”

It was more or less at this point that Dawn stopped feeling terrified and started to feel angry. No doubt it'd been crazies like these ones who'd blown up her old school because of their stupid religious beliefs. Now it looked as if they were going to blow up her new school. Just who did these bozos think they were? Were they _trying_ to screw with her education, wasn't it bad enough that in her senior year she'd have to drop out for a while so she could get pregnant and not be 'taken'? Obviously not because this bunch of weirdos seemed hell bent on ruining her chances of getting into a good college.

Not really realising what she was doing, Dawn stood up from behind the car and pointed her pistol at the terrorists. The three young men with their loads of explosives, gas and weapons were now only a few yards away from her and standing out in the open. Luckily for Dawn, because they had their hands full, their rifles were slung over their backs. They skidded to a halt when they saw the teenage girl pointing a pistol that looked huge in her small hands and they wondered if she actually knew how to fire the gun she was clutching and if she did whether she could hit anything, namely them.

Infinitely long seconds passed by as Dawn watched the terrorists and wondered what she was supposed to do now and the terrorists watched Dawn as they too wondered what she was going to do next. Eventually someone decided that they couldn't stay like this indefinitely. One of the terrorist dropped his load and made a dash for Dawn, apparently he thought that by distracting Dawn one of his buddies could shoot her or something; either that or he could deal with her himself.

Jerked out the stupor she'd seemed to have fallen into, Dawn heard the petrol can hit the surface of the parking lot as the guy ran at her. Without really realising she'd done it, Dawn fired, the pistol bucked in her hand as the round missed the charging terrorist by about a yard. However, although the bullet had missed its intended target it did in fact hit one of the other terrorists. The guy cried out in shock and pain as the bullet ripped through his arm smashing the bone as it did so. The terrorist dropped his load and fell to his knees as he clutched at his wounded arm.

The charging terrorist hit the surface of the lot as Dawn fired again and again. Now he'd had a chance to think about what he was doing, he now realised that charging the girl with the gun had been a bad idea. Crawling rapidly into cover he pulled his assault rifle off his back and considered shooting the girl. The idea of starting a gunfight with the teenager was quickly driven from his mind when he heard the sound of boots on tarmac and the voices of what were probably security guards calling to each other.

Opening her eyes as the hammer of her revolver clicked on an empty chamber, Dawn was greeted by the sight of the terrorists running after their van which was backing out of the parking lot at high speed. Chasing the terrorists were half a dozen security guards in body armour and armed with pump action shotguns. There was also another security guard who was pointing his shotgun at her.

“It's okay, Gonzalez,” a familiar sounding voice came from behind Dawn, “she's a student, I'll deal with this.”

With a nod, 'Gonzalez' turned away and trotted over to where his buddies had apprehended all the terrorists, except for the van and its driver who'd headed off down the street at high speed; no doubt the police would catch up with him later. Turning to see the 'voice' Dawn found herself eyeball-to-eyeball with Principle Snyder; he was dressed in his normal business suit with body armour over the top and a huge automatic pistol in his hand.

“Summers,” Snyder sighed heavily as he holstered his automatic, “Like sister, like...” he paused for a moment as he realised he'd backed himself into a verbal corner, “...like sister.” He frowned as he pulled open the front of his body armour, “Here give me that thing,” he held out his hand for Dawn's revolver and checked that it was unloaded before putting it into the one of the pockets on the front of his body armour, “my office, NOW!”

0=0=0=0

It felt like she'd been standing in Snyder's office for forever waiting for the little 'troll' to arrive. Telling herself that this had been a great way to announce her presence at Sunnydale High, she next told herself that she'd also probably saved the lives of a lot of her fellow students. Feeling slightly more at peace with herself and the world, Dawn still jumped a little as Snyder burst into his office. Swinging the door shut behind him as he walked around Dawn and sat down behind his desk.

“Sit!” Snyder ordered as he followed his own instructions, before saying, “An interesting way of starting your career here at Sunnydale High, Ms Summers.”

“Erm...” Dawn wondered at what Snyder had said, did that mean she still had a career at Sunnydale High?

“Don't try and explain,” Snyder snapped, “I saw everything on the CCTV monitors.”

“Oh...” visions of having to wear short, pleated, tartan skirts and white knee socks entered Dawn's mind as she realised she was going to be expelled and sent to private school.

“Oh well,” Snyder gave a long sigh, “the old school wouldn't be the same without a 'Summers' to mix things up a little.”

“Huh?” hope re-entered Dawn's heart as the idea of the hated tartan skirts reseeded in her mind, did this mean that Snyder was going to let her off with a warning?

“I've spoken to Mr Giles,” Snyder explained while at the same time making it sound as if he was blaming her for having to talk to Giles, “and he told me that your mother insists that you carry that cannon with you at all times...”

Dawn thought she should say something at this point that wasn't a monosyllabic grunt, “Yes, Sir.”

“...and as you stopped those long-haired assholes from blowing up the school, I've decided to let you off with a warning and a couple of pieces of advice...”

“Thank-you Principle Snyder...” Dawn replied her voice sounding very small in her ears.

“Next time you shoot at terrorists on school grounds, aim low and keep your eyes open!” Snyder pulled open a desk draw and placed Dawn's pistol on his desk in front of her, “Here you'll be needing this and this,” he placed a type written sheet on the desk next to the gun, “its permission to carry a firearm on school grounds...” Snyder stared at Dawn with unforgiving eyes, “...don't make me regret giving it to you.”

“Erm...no, sir, I won't!” Dawn didn't know whether to faint right there on the spot with relief or kiss Snyder...on reflection kissing Principle Snyder was probably going too far.

“Get out Summers,” Snyder barked as he started to make a couple of notes in Dawn's permanent record, “I don't want to see you in my office again for at least a week!”

Snatching up her pistol and her 'permit to carry' Dawn stuffed both into her bag as she headed for the door. Once out in the corridor she rested her back against Snyder's door and sighed a huge sigh of relief.

“Stop dawdling, Summers,” Snyder's voice came to Dawn's ears muffled by the door, “you've got classes to go to.”

Turning to head off down the corridor, Dawn suddenly realised she didn't know where she was supposed to go, she didn't even know where the school office was.

“Dawn!” a quiet voice reached her ears from around a corner to another corridor.

“Lisa!” Dawn squealed happily, “Janice!”

Her two bestest buddies in all the world ran over to Dawn and hugged her excitedly.

“Have you been thrown out?” Janice wanted to know.

“Private school for you, girl!” Lisa grinned.

“No!” Dawn replied as the three of them headed off down the corridor together, “Snyder was pretty cool about it.”

“So he should be,” Lisa pointed out, “you're a hero!”

“Yeah,” Dawn shrugged uncertainly, “I suppose...” was she a hero like her sister, Dawn didn't think so, she'd just been in the right place at the right time. “Hey,” Dawn plastered a smile on her face, “I've like totally loads to tell you, but it'll have to wait 'til later...we've got classes to go to.”

“Whatever,” Lisa shrugged dismissively.

“Yeah,” Janice agreed, “its only gym, we can cut that today...”

“So,” Lisa said as she grabbed hold of Dawn's arm, “like tell us about Snyder...”

0=0=0=0

**Faith.**

After pulling her old duffel bag from the back of the cab, Faith paid off the driver and spent a moment just standing looking up at the house in front of her. So, she told herself, this was where the last slayer had lived. It was a nice house, so much nicer than the run down apartment block where she'd lived in Boston, this Buffy girl and her mom must be rich. A thought entered her mind, at least Buffy and herself had one thing in common, neither of them had a 'dad' in the picture. Remembering something the Council guy had told her, unlike herself who didn't know who her father was, Buffy'd had a father, her mom and dad were divorced.

Checking that the letter of introduction was still in the inside pocket of her faded jacket, Faith picked up her duffel; it contained everything she owned in the world, and headed on up the path towards the front door, she hoped someone would be home. Reaching the door, Faith pressed the little button and heard the chimes go off inside the house. Waiting for what felt like an eternity, Faith was about to press the doorbell again, but she heard footsteps approaching from inside. After a moment's more waiting the door swung open to reveal the figure of Joyce Summers, Buffy's mom.

It was only then that realisation struck Faith, that she was the slayer and the only reason she was the slayer was because the last slayer had died. Buffy Summers the daughter of the woman who was now standing in front of her looking quizzically at her, was dead. There was no way Faith was going to deal with that, not yet and not here.

“Yes dear?” 

Faith looked up at Joyce Summers, she looked like a nice lady she even had a nice, kind sounding voice, for a moment Faith couldn't help feeling jealous of Buffy, but those thoughts only lasted a fraction of a second, Buffy was dead, how could she feel jealous of a dead girl?

“Erm...Sorry to disturb ya, ma'am, Faith tried to sound as polite as she knew how, “but I'm looking for a Mr Giles, a Mr Rupert Giles. I was told I could find him here.”

“And you are?” Joyce raised an eyebrow as she wondered what teenage girls were doing looking for Rupert.

“Sorry...Faith,” Faith replied before adding, “Faith Lehane, ma'am...I was sent here by...” Faith managed to stop herself from saying 'The Council of Watchers', instead she said, “...by some people.”

“Well I'm sorry,” Joyce looked down at the girl and noticed how thin she looked and how worn her clothes here, not dirty just old and worn out, “but Mr Giles is at work can I help you? I'm his...um...friend.”

Friend, right, Faith caught the smirk before it actually reached her lips, she might not have much schooling under her belt but she knew when two people were screwing however much they tried to hide it.

“Could ya tell me were Mr Giles works?” Faith hated herself for sounding so helpless, “Coz its real important that I see him.”

“Alright,” Joyce stepped back from the door as she invited Faith into her house, “look I've got nothing planned for this morning I'll drive you over to Sunnydale High and we'll find Rupert together.”

Leading Faith into her kitchen and offering her milk and cookies, which the girl wolfed down like she'd not eaten properly in days, Joyce wondered why dark haired waifs like this Faith Lehane wanted to speak to Rupert so urgently; Joyce had to admit that just at the moment she could do with talking to Rupert herself.

“Have some more cookies,” Joyce called as she went to put something more appropriate on for visiting the school where both her daughter and lover were, “and help yourself to milk...”

“Thanks ma'am,” Faith called before stuffing more cookies in her mouth and pouring herself another glass of milk.

0=0=0=0


	13. Chapter 13

13.

**Faith and Dawn.**

Looking down at the plate on her tray, Faith couldn't help but think; Hotdog Surprise...again!? This was the second time this week it'd been served (what was basically spaghetti in tomato sauce with hotdog sliced into it) and it was only Tuesday. Standing there at the end of the serving counter, Faith looked up and scanned the lunch room, the place was pretty crowded and most of the seats were taken, even if they were serving Hotdog Surprise...again.

Having moved into the Summers' house (there was no way Mrs Summers was going to let Faith live in a motel) Mr Giles had insisted that she attended school, something she'd not done for a couple of years. So now at the age of seventeen and because she'd missed so much school time, she found herself a 'junior' at Sunnydale High. This, she told herself was a complete pain because she hated being in a class with people a good year or more younger than she was. But, on the other hand everyone (well most of everyone) thought she was _way cool_ because of her 'tat' and because she smoked and drank beer and had had sex.

Moving away from the counter, Faith was beginning to think that she'd have to sit on the floor to eat her lunch, when she heard someone call her name. Looking around she saw Janice, one of Dawn's friends, wave her over. Wondering if it would damage her 'street cred' if she was seen sitting with a bunch of Junior High kids, Faith shrugged and thought, whatever, she didn't really care what people thought about her anyway, so she made her way over to where Dawn and her friends sat.

“Hi Faith,” Lisa and Janice called happily, they shuffled their chairs apart to make room for Faith.

“Oh hi Faith,” this was from, Kevin, Dawn's 'boyfriend'; as usual his eyes were riveted to Faith's breasts for a moment or two; then he seemed to remember where he was and who he was with and dropped his eyes before glancing guiltily at Dawn who was sitting next to him.

“Oh its you...” Dawn said hardly looking up at Faith.

Putting down her tray, Faith grabbed a chair from another table and sat down.

“Hi guys,” she smiled at everyone, “hi Dawn...so what's goin' down with you guys?” 

Faith sat back and ate her Hotdog Surprise as she listened to all the Junior High gossip which seemed to consist mainly of who was Jonesing for who and what, if anything, they were doing about it. This sort of conversation had never really interested her even when she'd been fifteen like the kids she was sitting with now. She sort of went on automatic pilot and just grunted or said something non-committal, she wondered why these girls liked her. It was probably because she was older and of course she was 'way cool' in their eyes. Faith told herself that it didn't bother her, but deep down she liked being liked, the only thing that spoiled her enjoyment of her new life was that Dawn didn't appear to want to accept her. 

Okay, Faith was living in Dawn's old room. Yes, she'd been made a part of the Summers family by Mrs S, who knew that she was the replacement slayer, the final confirmation that her own daughter was gone forever. To be honest, Faith had never had it so good, she didn't _really_ mind going to school again, but Dawn... Well, Dawn just wouldn't warm to her, Faith had tried; she'd tried to be the big sister that Dawn could confide in, when that had failed she'd backed off a little and tried to be her friend, but Dawn just wouldn't or couldn't reciprocate her advances. Eventually, Faith had just backed off, yes she was polite to Dawn but little else.

Of course Mrs S and Mr G, who had sort of moved in with Mrs Summers over the last couple of months, had noticed how Faith and Dawn were walking around each other like a couple of cats just before the fight started. In a way Faith wished Dawn would get angry and hit her or something, she could handle that and it might clear the air between them. But, Dawn was a good kid, better than Faith'd been at that age, and it actually 'hurt' Faith that the girl wouldn't accept her.

“Hey Faith,” Janice's voice broke into Faith's thoughts, “what-cha-gonna do...like, next year?”

“Next year?” Faith frowned as she put down her fork.

“Yeah, like you're seventeen now,” this was from Lisa, “so even if you're not a senior you're gonna be eighteen by the time The Others come back, so what are you gonna do?”

“Oh yeah, that...” to be honest Faith hadn't thought about it much, thinking about the future wasn't in her nature, she'd never thought she had much of a future until now, “Look,” she shrugged, “I ain't never gonna pass my SATs and I don't wanna be 'taken' so...”

“Yeah right,” Dawn muttered so quietly that only people with slayer hearing could hear her, Faith ignored the comment and the implied doubting of her courage.

“So you're, like, gonna totally get knocked up, right?” Janice asked.

“Cool, that's what I'm gonna do when its my turn,” Lisa giggled; Faith noticed that Kevin was keeping out of this part of the conversation, wise man, she thought to herself, “so, who're you gonna get to do it?”

“I don't know,” Faith felt a little out of her depth and shrugged, “maybe that guy Xander Harris?”

“Xander doesn't do that anymore,” Dawn said sharply.

“Or maybe I'll have a boyfriend by then,” Faith forced a smile and wished all this talk of babies and getting 'knocked up' would stop.

Glancing up she noticed a bunch of seniors, all guys, move purposefully towards the table where Faith and her young friends sat, to be honest she'd never been so happy to see a bunch of 'assholes' in all her life. Steve Wilson and his friends were a gift to those people who were worried about being 'taken', these guys were headed for parts galactic come the SATs. The trouble was that they knew it and were intent on making as much trouble for everyone as they could before they left; they rated about an 'eight' on Faith's asshole-o-meter and she was itching for an excuse to beat them bloody. With no demons or vamps around a slayer had to take her pleasures where she could find them.

“Hi girls,” Wilson said with a big cheesy grin on his pimple marked face, “me an' the guys were wonderin' if you girls would like to come over an' party some,” Wilson's grin got wider and his buddies started to to snigger as they spread out around the table neatly trapping everyone and at the same time blocking the view of the security guard at the other end of the room. “Y'know, get screwed real hard before...I mean you girls might as well get some practice in before you all get knocked up, right?”

“Ewwww!” Dawn, Lisa and Janice chorused.

“Hey man,” Kevin said as he stood up to confront the older teenager, “that's so not cool.”

Brave, thought Faith, stupid but brave. Kevin wouldn't last ten seconds, Faith recalculated Kevin's chances as she looked at Wilson's buddies again, make that less than five seconds; with a heavy sigh Faith decided it was about time for her to step in.

“Hey Summers,” Wilson sneered, “keep your boy on a leash unless you wanna visit him in hospital...”

“Okay asshole,” Faith stood up to face Wilson, “beat it before I beat it for ya.”

“Oh tough girl Lehane, huh?” Wilson sneered to the amusement of his buddies, “Like to see how tough you are with my cock up ya ass!”

“Eww!” cried Lisa and Janice as all Wilson's friends burst into peels of laughter.

“Okay asshole, if that's the way ya want it?” Faith sort of growled before glancing down at Kevin and the girls and saying, “Don't watch...”

Ten seconds later Faith was surrounded by a carpet of groaning or unconscious teenage boys, Wilson had got the full force of Faith's venom and wouldn't be waking up for at least a day, maybe two.

“Wow...” gasped Lisa and Janice as they stared at all the bodies; Kevin said nothing as he sat there wide eyed, he'd decided that Faith was now his goddess.

“Whatever...” Dawn said as she yawned before picking up her bag and making ready to leave the scene of the crime.

“Lehane!”

“Oh crap,” Faith sighed quietly as she turned to face Principal Snyder, “Oh come on man,” Faith pleaded, “it was self defence!”

“And you Summers...”

“What did I do?” Dawn demanded, “I was just sitting there I...”

“Both of you,” Snyder jerked his thumb over his shoulder, “my office...NOW!”

0=0=0=0

**D-Racip.**

Sitting at the head of the conference table, D-Racip called the meeting to order.

“This meeting is being held to discus the shortage of human females and what, if anything can be done to rectify this deplorable situation,” D-Racip explained as his fellow Th-rim got settled in their seats, “Now, who would like to start?”

“If I may?” a short bookish looking Th-rim with spectacles perched on the end of his long nose spoke up from the other end of the table.

“S-Enob is it not?” D-Racip made a note on the computer pad in front of him.

“Correct,” S-Enob nodded to the chair-Th-rim, “The first question I'd like to ask is; do we actually have a problem here?” S-Enob looked up and down the table at his colleagues, “I mean at the moment we can sell as many of these hu-fems as we like for almost whatever price we like. Taking more of them will simply lower the unit price...”

“He's right you know,” a Th-rim in a yellow and blue checked business suit named F-Row interjected, “we don't want a glut.”

“As I'm sure you're aware,” D-Racip pointed out, “the unit price for human males is dropping like a stone, no one wants them any more. Unfortunately we seem to have flooded the market.”

“Yes,” a very thin Th-rim in purple robes named T-Tocs agreed, “these humans are pretty tough and aren't dying off anywhere near as fast as we'd at first feared...but the demand for hu-fems is totally unexpected.”

“Well in that case,” S-Enob spoke again, “why don't we just go and get some more?”

“A good point,” D-Racip agreed, “but unfortunately we've entered into agreements with other stock companies to only take the agreed numbers of humans at each round-up.”

“I think you misunderstand me,” S-Enob smirked, “I wasn't suggesting that we tell anyone...or did this officially.”

“You mean 'poach' more females?” D-Racip pondered the point, “Yes that's something to look into, but it would have to be very carefully done and how would we explain having surplus hu-fems so long after the round-up?”

“What about taking more at each round-up?” T-Tocs asked.

“I've never liked that idea,” D-Racip replied, “as it might have an adverse effect on long term human numbers.”

“Well then,” T-Tocs shrugged, “what about taking younger and, or, older hu-fems?”

“I'd have the same objections to that as I do to taking more at each round-up,” D-Racip said firmly.

“You have an experimental breeding colony on LV 426 don't you?” F-Row asked, “How is that progressing?”

“Surprisingly well,” D-Racip replied, “even without being conditioned the females seem quite contented, unfortunately this is a long term project and I don't expect to be making a profit for at least twenty years.”

The Th-rim around the table shook their heads in disappointment.

“What about cloning?” S-Enob asked.

“No,” T-Tocs shook his head, “cloning has never been very successful,” he went on to explain, “the clone ages rapidly until it reaches the age of the creature from which the original genetic-sample was taken. The clone itself then only lasts two, at most three years.”

“Erm...” S-Enob glanced around at his fellow Th-rim, “...excuse me but do we really need hu-fems lasting more than two or three years and wouldn't rapid ageing in the development stage reduce our over heads?” he turned to look at T-Tocs his face eager for information, “How long would it take to clone a saleable hu-fem?”

“Assuming that we had the infrastructure in place...” T-Tocs thought for a moment, “...perhaps six months...I'd need to do a feasibility study and run computer models to be sure.”

“Okay, about half a year, plus or minus three months,” S-Enob spoke eagerly.

“More like plus three months,” T-Tocs pointed out.

“Whatever,” S-Enob brushed T-Tocs' point aside, “if we could put hu-fems on the market that only lasted two years or so, we'd clean up not only with the initial sale but on repeat sales too.”

“Especially if we keep the process secret,” F-Row added.

“And designed the clones to die after two or possibly three years anyway so we could maximise our profit margins,” D-Racip pointed out.

There was a couple of moments silence as the Th-rim thought over what they were suggesting.

“Gentle-Th-rim,” S-Enob said slowly a look of wonder in his eyes, “I think I might have come up with what could be a world changing idea.”

“We were discussing how to acquire more hu-fems and increase our profits,” D-Racip laughed gently, “not to come up with 'world changing' ideas.”

“No listen,” S-Enob looked around at his colleagues earnestly, “be honest with yourselves and tell me who here actually enjoys mating with out own females?”

S-Enob's question was met with a silence that spoke volumes.

“Exactly,” S-Enob smiled, “now tell me who enjoys mating with Hu-fems?”

Every Th-rim around the table put up a hand and grinned at S-Enob.

“As I thought,” S-Enob nodded, “our females are quite frankly, ugly and dangerous they must have held back the progress of the Th-rim race for tens of thousands of years, I mean,” he laughed, “who here actually wants his head ripped off after mating?”

No one felt the need to answer that question.

“Wouldn't it be better to mate with the hu-fems?” S-Enob wondered, “They appear to actually enjoy mating and they don't try to kill you when its all over.”

“Impossible,” T-Tocs pointed out, “a nice idea, but impossible. Human reproduction is completely different from our own. For a start the male fertilises an egg already within the female. This egg then develops over several months until the female gives birth to live offspring.”

“True,” S-Enob nodded, “but as we're already talking about cloning hu-fems why not talk about modifying them?”

“Huh?” every other Th-rim at the table said.

“Look, basically what is a Th-rim female?” S-Enob asked.

“Bloody dangerous!” F-Row chuckled.

“True,” agreed S-Enob with a smile, “but basically, when you come right down to it a Th-rim female is little more than a bio-incubator made to store a male's spawn until its ready to hatch.”

“We've tried making bionic incubators,” F-Row pointed out, “but it didn't work.”

“But what if you could alter a hu-fem clone so she could accept our spawn and act as an incubator?”

“It would take some time to develop,” T-Tocs pointed out, “but our bioengineering techniques are so much more advanced now than they were even five years ago, I don't see how it wouldn't work....assuming we can actually genetically alter hu-fems to accept our spawn”

“And then all we'd need to do is pick out the female spawn and...” D-Racip let the sentence trail off as he was about to suggest the genocide of the entire female part of the Th-rim race.

“But could we get people to go along with this?” F-Row asked quietly.

“You are joking right?” T-Tocs snorted in mild derision, “Personally I'd jump at a chance to continue the race without having to even look at another Th-rim female ever again.”

“Have we come to a consensus?” D-Racip asked; his fellow Th-rim nodded their heads, some slowly others more eagerly. “Then I suggest that S-Enob and T-Tocs set up a research team to look into the practical problems with this project while I and F-Row sell this to the board of directors.”

“I don't think that will be too hard a sale,” S-Enob grinned.

“In the mean time what do we do about the hu-fem shortage?” F-Row asked.

“A good point,” D-Racip agreed, “for now I think we can go with poaching limited numbers of hu-fem from the more isolated areas on Earth and then sell them on the blackmarket.”

After the meeting broke up, D-Racip stood and looked out the window of the meeting room and out over the glittering towers of the city. In his mind's eye he counted each and every Th-rim, they would each want their own hu-fem pet and then there were the hu-fems that would be needed for breeding purposes. These could be kept in special breeding facilities outside the city. With any luck he'd be a very...no make that, an extremely rich Th-rim in a few years time. After all the hu-fems were harmless, he couldn't see how anything could go wrong

0=0=0=0

**Buffy and Crystal.**

“Do ya fink we'll get into trouble for killin' that demon?” Crystal asked as she and Buffy sat next to each other as they were driven back to the camp after the hunt.

“As long as we don't keep talking about it,” Buffy replied pointedly, “we should be okay.”

“Yeah you're right,” Crystal agreed, “they might 'ave the place bugged.”

“Maybe,” Buffy agreed uncertainly, “but when have you ever known one of The Others to like totally care about what a human does or says?”

“Like never, unless ya 'it one of 'em over the 'ead wiv a vase.”

“Right,” Buffy nodded again, “I think if we keep quite the authorities will totally put it down as an accident.”

“Like 'e tripped an' fell,” Crystal mused, “and broke 'is neck.”

“It was a nasty fall,” Buffy smirked, “Coulda happened to anyone.”

“Right...” Crystal agreed with a grin.

0=0=0=0


	14. Chapter 14

14.

**R-Ekir.**

Stepping down from the air car, R-Ekir paused as he looked around. The vehicle had delivered him to an area of long, coarse grass dotted with thorn bushes. This he knew was one of the company's hunting parks and he was there to investigate what at first glance appeared to be a simple accident. Coming towards him was a Th-rim called S-Drib who was the Hunt Master for this part of the park. Turning towards S-Drib, R-Ekir stumbled on a stone hidden amongst the grass and cursed under his breath. He hated being out of the city, the only reason he was here now was that T-Surt the regular investigator who should have been here had gone on vacation with his new pet hufem.

“Good morning,” S-Drib called cheerfully as he approached R-Ekir.

S-Drib was tall even by Th-rim standards and had that healthy, outdoors look that really annoyed R-Ekir for no good reason that he could ever articulate, S-Drib held out his hand to R-Ekir.

“I'm Hunt Master S-Drib,” S-Drib introduced himself as he shook R-Ekir's hand vigorously.

“R-Ekir, from Head Office,” R-Ekir managed to extricate his hand from S-Drib's vice like grip and tried to massage some feeling back into it, “can we get on with this?”

“Sure,” S-Drib replied pleasantly enough, “if you'll follow me this way?” S-Drib led R-Ekir over to a particularly large thorn bush. “The remains were found two days after the last hunt we had here,” he explained as they walked, “A couple of my Keepers were searching for a missing gun.”

“Did they find it?” R-Ekir wanted to know, losing guns even hunting guns was a serious business.

“Oh yes,” S-Drib chuckled, “its how we came to find the remains...” he led R-Ekir around the bush and gestured to a lot of bones scattered on the sandy soil between the clumps of grass, “...there, we believe his name was O-Ginr...”

“You believe?”

“Well, we're pretty sure...” S-Drib explained, “...he was part of a corporate hunting party about fifty strong, its difficult to find out names if you don't want to draw attention to the fact that you've lost a hunter, if you know what I mean?”

“Oh yes...” R-Ekir nodded as he studied the widely scattered bones; if the news got out that a hunter had died it could seriously affect the company's profits, he looked up into S-Drib's face, “Is this all that's left? I mean are you sure he's only been here a couple of days?”

“Fairly,” S-Drib replied with a shrug, “although the large predators and scavengers have been cleared from the park, there's still the smaller scavengers that you can never completely eradicate.”

“Scavengers?” R-Ekir asked nervously as he glanced around looking for anything that might be creeping up on him.”

“Oh don't worry,” S-Drib laughed, “it was probably Mu-ick beetles that did this, they only eat dead flesh they'd not be interested in us...”

“Oh good,” R-Ekir gave a small sigh of relief and wished he was back in his office or at home enjoying his pet.

“Yeah,” S-Drib continued apparently not noticing R-Ekir's discomfort, “he probably tripped and fell, hit his head, perhaps choked on his tongue or something. Anyway he died and the Mu-ick ate him...”

“And scattered the bones?” R-Ekir wanted to know.

“They do that,” S-Drib knelt down and picked up a vertebra to show R-Ekir, “See? Picked clean, if you look really closely you can even see the teeth marks...”

“No thank-you,” R-Ekir was suddenly feeling most unwell, he _really_ wanted to go home and be comforted by his pet, Alison, “So...” R-Ekir summoned all the moral fibre that he could, “...an accident then?”

“Why not?” S-Drib replied, “Unless you want to call in the police for a full investigation.”

“No, no,” R-Ekir shook his head; a police investigation would mean they'd have to close down this park, there'd also be questions asked at the next meeting of the board and R-Ekir didn't want that to happen. “I think you're right, he obviously tripped, fell and was eaten...were the hunters drinking a lot?”

“Uh-huh,” S-Drib agree with a nod of his head seeing where R-Ekir wanted to take this, “quite a lot as it happened.”

“Well there you are...” R-Ekir beamed, “...the victim was drunk and had an unfortunate accident. There's no cause to call in the police but I'll make a recommendation that sales of intoxicating substances should be restricted at the pre-hunt meeting...that should cover our arses,” R-Ekir looked back to where the air car hovered waiting to take him back to the city. “Collect up his bones and have them sent back to his company, I'll write a report and if anyone asks you anything about this...erm...unfortunate accident, say nothing and redirect them to me, understand?”

“Of course director,” S-Drib smiled, another little problem neatly swept under the carpet.

“Right!” R-Ekir backed away from S-Drib and the remains, “I'm off now,” he turned to walk back to the air car, “nice to have met you S-Drib.”

“And you, R-Ekir!” S-Drib called as he watched the Th-rim almost run back to his air car, “bloody townies,” he muttered as the air car whisked the Th-rim from head office away and out of his life forever, he hoped.

0=0=0=0

**Dawn and Faith.**

“I know what you're trying to do,” Dawn called as she worked on her laptop in her bedroom.

The computer was an old one given to her by Willow when she'd gone off to college, Dawn really missed Willow and her baby Sophia; Willow had sort of filled the hole in her life after Buffy had gone, it was like she'd had two big sisters not one. The laptop might be old but it was _way_ better than any of the ones owned by her friends, Willow was a real computer whiz and had made lots of modifications to the basic operating system.

“So what am I tryin' to do Dawn?” Faith replied from where she stood in the doorway of Dawn's room.

“You're trying to replace Buffy, you want me to stop loving her so you can take her place,” Dawn wiped at the tear that had suddenly come to her eye.

“Is that what this is all about?” Faith felt like laughing with relief, Dawn didn't 'hate' her after all, now all she had to do was convince her she wasn't trying to replace Buffy.

“You gonna try an' tell me it isn't?” Dawn turned in her seat to look at Faith.

“Erm, yeah,” Faith leaned nonchalantly against the door frame, “Ya got it all wrong kid...”

“Don't call me kid, I'm nearly as tall as you,” Dawn snapped back, obviously Faith was trying a new way of worming her way into her heart, well it wouldn't work, she told herself.

“Okay...” Faith suppressed the sigh that almost escaped her lips, “...look, I don't wanna replace ya sis, I know I could never do that, I just wanna be friends...”

“Friends?” Dawn huffed, “Yeah, right.”

“Look Dawn,” Faith pleaded as she took a step into Dawn's room only to be stopped by a glare from the younger girl, “sorry...” Faith backed up a little, “...look,” she tried again, “we both live here, so...”

“And why do you have to live here?” Dawn wanted to know, “Why do you have to go to my school, why do my friends think you're all so cool and I've seen the way Kevin looks at you, don't think that I haven't...”

“Why?” Faith gave a quiet laugh, “Because there's not much choice and don't forget your mom invited me to live here...”

“You didn't have to accept,” Dawn sulked.

“Whatever,” Faith shrugged, “and your friends like me coz I'm like the big girl who talks to them like they weren't stupid or they're like little sisters...and Kevin...” Faith smirked, “...well he's just a guy an' I've got these!” 

Faith thrust her breasts towards Dawn making her giggle in spite of herself.

“See,” Faith shrugged as she relaxed against the door frame, “I'm not trying to steal ya mom, or ya friends and Kevin,” she shrugged again, “he's cute but he's way too young for me...hey have you two been foolin' around?”

“Foolin' around?” Dawn was curious despite her feelings towards Faith.

“Yeah, ya know?” Faith saw the blank look on Dawn's face, “Y'know all the groping an' kissin' and all that kinda stuff?”

“No...” Dawn replied slowly, “...I've only known him since we started going to Sunnydale High together, do you think I should, like, start kissing and foolin' around?”

“Hey,” Faith smiled as she slowly moved a little further into Dawn's room, “Ya do know that I'm the kinda girl that ya mom probably wouldn't want ya takin' boyfriend advice offa, right?”

“Whatever,” Dawn gestured for Faith to sit down on her bed, her curiosity was getting the better of her.

“Look, now this is me being grown-up, right?” Faith pointed out, “Whatever you an' Kevin do together be careful, okay? An' remember that he's a guy right? An' it doesn't matter how nice an' cool a guy might be they all only want one thing.”

“Huh? One thing?” Dawn frowned, “What?”

“Jeez,” Faith laughed, “just how innocent are ya? Ya mom shoulda told ya this stuff ages ago.”

“Told me what?” Dawn pleaded, “Please tell me I don't want to screw up, what if he asks me something and I don't know what he means and I say the wrong thing and ruin everything?”

“Look, guys are only after one thing, right?”

“You mean sex?” Dawn replied still a little uncertain that this was actually what Faith was talking about.

“Right,” Faith nodded, “then once you've done the dirty,” she smirked, “if he's an asshole he'll never speak to ya again. If he's a good guy, which I think Kevin is, he'll stick with ya, okay?”

“So you're saying I should have sex with Kevin?”

“Erm...” Faith hesitated, she was pretty sure she hadn't said that, “...only if ya wanna, don't rush into this stuff, I did an' look what happened to me...oh an' if ya do, take precautions, right? Just ask an' I'll get ya some rubbers...”

“You will?” Dawn asked, she thought about something Faith had said earlier, “Hey, what makes you think Kevin is one of these good guys?”

“Because when he looks at my rack he doesn't make it obvious an' when he looks away he always looks at you an' its not to compare your boobs with mine coz, hey,” Faith smiled widely, “I am _soooo_ gonna win that competition!”

Faith stayed talking to Dawn for nearly an hour letting the younger girl open up to her and without really knowing it was happening, Dawn started to become Faith's friend. Faith would never be Buffy, not that she wanted to be but she could be Dawn's older friend and advisor and that was really all she wanted. That and being liked, Faith's life had been pretty 'crappy' until she'd come to Sunnydale.

“Hey,” Faith stood up, “ya got assignments to do?”

“Yeah,” Dawn replied, “I got to read three chapters of 'Practical Childcare' by tomorrow.”

“Yeah, same here,” Faith nodded, “they're takin' this stuff way more seriously than they ever used to, right?”

“Yeah, right,” Dawn had long ago resigned herself to getting pregnant so she wouldn't be taken when the time came. “hey, Faith are you scared...I mean about babies and stuff?”

“Nothin' much scares me, Dawnie,” Faith admitted, “an as for kids...” she shrugged, “...I'm pretty sure I'll be a better mom to my kid than my mom was to me...anyway I gotta date with a book,” she laughed, “now there's something I never thought I'd hear m'self saying, see ya later Dawnie.”

“Yeah, see ya later,” Dawn replied as she watched Faith leave her room, “Hey Faith!” she cried.

“Yeah?” Faith stuck her head back around Dawn's door.

“Thanks...”

0=0=0=0

**Giles and Snyder.**

Walking into Snyder's office, Giles closed the door behind him and sat down in front of the Principal's desk. It was late and he really wanted to go home, however Joyce was out at a gallery function, Faith could keep an eye on Dawn and there were things he needed to discuss with Snyder.

“I hear you had Dawn and Faith in your office after that incident in the dinning hall,” Giles said.

“Yes,” Snyder looked up from the papers on his desk, “I had to for forms sake, I'm not taking any action against either of them, but I have to make it look as if I've investigated. It was pretty obvious that it was self defence. If Lehane hadn't acted when she did it could have been a whole lot worse.” Snyder sighed, “If I had my way, Lehane would have got a commendation and Wilson and all his buddies would spend from now 'til the next time The Others come by in jail.”

“I'm sure both Dawn and Faith will be pleased to hear that,” Giles settled himself in his chair, “what is going to happen to Mr Wilson and his friends?”

“Damn bleeding heart liberal judges,” Snyder spat the words out, “one month's community service!”

“Disgusting, judges like that should be struck off or whatever it is you do to judges,” Giles agreed dryly before gesturing at the papers before Snyder, “you read the report?”

“Just coming to the end as you walked in,” Snyder put the neatly typed papers to one side, “You know Mr Giles it annoys me that I have to get this sort of information from a foreign security organisation. You know most of this has never been broadcast on any of the news services and no doubt you've heard that the government is going to block all foreign news services to the States.”

“Yes,” Giles nodded as he took off his glasses and started to wipe them with a clean handkerchief, “I expect your government is trying to prevent mass panic and disorder.”

“If what this says is true,” Snyder gestured to the papers, “then they've failed...”

“Indeed,” Giles replaced his glasses, “the disorder even here in the States is getting worse and is moving steadily west, the question we have to ask ourselves is what do we do about it when the riots break out in Sunnydale.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Snyder asked, “Okay, I'm going to tell the staff to start carrying tasers and firearms at the Monday morning staff meeting. But the budget's maxed out for security and the school board can't get any more funding and well...” Snyder gave Giles a helpless shrug, “...I expect most parents will start keeping their children away from school unless they're here to burn it down.” Snyder sighed heavily, a defeated man, “I know I hate kids but I've been an educator all my adult life, I thought I could make a difference, instil some discipline into the little thugs but this...” he held up his hand helplessly, “...what can we do?” 

“Well, we could prepare,” Giles suggested.

“Prepare?” Snyder asked, “How?”

“Make sure there are supplies of books and teaching materials in secret, secure, locations,” Giles explained, “libraries are always one of the first targets of mobs with torches looking for something to burn down...”

“I see,” Snyder nodded but didn't sound very enthusiastic, “set up a secret school somewhere.”

“Yes,” Giles said firmly, “education is the only way we are going to beat The Others, we have to learn and advance until we're as advanced as they are then we can put all this,” Giles waved vaguely about, “to an end...”

“I'm not sure I'm as hopeful as you, Mr Giles,” Snyder replied, “But I'll talk to the school board and see what can be done.”

0=0=0=0

**Willow.**

Pushing Sophia's stroller across campus at UC Sunnydale, Willow mused that once upon a time she'd have been more worried about vampires when going out after dark. Now her worries were more about natural threats rather than supernatural ones.

“Soon be home baby,” Willow told her daughter as they headed for Willow's dorm.

Willow had heard that there was going to be a demonstration tonight and had promised herself that she'd get home to her dorm well before it started, student demonstrations tended to turn very violent these days. The Dean had requested National Guard troops to keep order on more than one occasion. Tonight there was an equal rights demo scheduled. There was a group that was basically saying that girls shouldn't be allowed to get pregnant and not be 'taken'. They were saying that if women wanted equal rights with men they should take equal risks. In a way, Willow could see their point, but she didn't like the way they put their ideas over. There was talk of them arranging mass forced abortions just prior to when The Others next turned up. The 'Equal Rights' coalition where a mixed bag of religious and left/right wing political loonies, but they all seemed to be well funded and someone was organising them pretty efficiently. Someone was also stopping the police and the governor from dealing with them in a more robust manner.

Hearing some shouting over to her right, Willow looked that way and saw figures silhouetted through the trees as someone started a fire. Only moments later she heard very loud cheers as a building burst into flames. Shocked into inaction, Willow realised that what she was seeing was the college nursery going up in flames. If she'd been just a little later in picking up Sophia she'd still be over there now. Turning, Willow almost pushed Sophia's stroller into the legs of a large, heavily armed man in a camouflaged uniform.

“Oh my!” Willow gasped as she found herself facing a whole line of grim faced men in uniforms each of whom held some sort of rifle or other weapon.

“Ma'am?” asked the soldier that Willow had almost run over.

“Aaah?” Willow appeared to have lost the power of speech as she looked up into the soldier's face and realised he didn't look angry or anything, just concerned.

“United States Marines, Ma'am...”

“Marines?” Willow asked herself, what were Marines doing in UC Sunnydale?

“You better come with us ma'am, we'll get you and your child to safety.”

Two Marines stepped out from the ranks, one took Sophia's stroller from Willow's numbed hands while the other led her towards the back of a military truck were she could see other female students and their children already aboard. Seated in the back of the truck with Sophia on her lap, Willow watched as the truck pulled away and the Marines started to move towards where the rioters were burning down more of the campus buildings.

0=0=0=0


	15. Chapter 15

15.

**SATs Day, 2000.**

**Part I.**

**Willow**

Before she'd met 2nd Lt Bob Jackson, USMC, Willow had been concerned that she might be turning gay; not that she'd got anything against the gay community, she just wasn't sure if she wanted to be part of it. While she'd been at UC Sunnydale all her friends had been female and she'd started to have, what she'd thought of as 'inappropriate' thoughts about a couple of her college girlfriends. At least she had until she'd met 2nd Lt Bob Jackson, USMC, he'd been in command of the platoon that was protecting the community centre that the Marines were evacuating all the female students and their children to.

As she lay in bed listening to Bob's breathing she couldn't believe that was only seven months ago and that she was now Mrs Willow Jackson. They'd married only two weeks before and now lived in a small married quarter on the Marine base just outside San Diego. Willow's mom had said all the usual things, like was Willow rushing things, was she pregnant again, did she know what she was doing? Her mother's concerns made Willow examine her own feeling and question why she'd fallen for the handsome young Marine officer, but it didn't take her long to realise that she loved Bob and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Once Sheila Rosenberg realised that her one and only child knew what she was doing she'd thrown herself into the wedding preparations with an enthusiasm that had surprised and pleased Willow.

Now after only two weeks of married bliss, they'd not even had time for a proper honeymoon, Bob was going off to war. Willow told herself not to be so melodramatic, it wasn't as if Bob was going overseas or anything. The Marines were being deployed in case there was trouble when The Others came and took what they wanted. Of course there'd be trouble, Willow told herself as she rolled over and held her husband in the weak morning light. Things had been getting steadily worse since that night that the Equal Rights Coalition had burnt down most of UC Sunnydale despite what the police, National Guard and Marines could do.

Various anti-Taken organisations had sworn to disrupt the SATs, while an equal number of pro-Taken groups had sworn to fight the anti-Taken groups. In between them would be her husband and for once in her life Willow couldn't appreciate both sides of the argument, not when both those sides threatened someone she loved. Rolling over she glanced at the alarm clock on her night stand and watched as the red numbers slowly counted down until it would be time for Bob to get up and leave her. Just for a moment Willow considered waking Bob up so they could make love one last time before he left. But after a moment's thought, she told herself that that would be selfish, Bob would need all the rest he could get for the coming days.

Also wouldn't having sex now seem rather final? Like, he wouldn't be coming back, that today would be the last time she saw him? No, Willow told herself, it would be better to send him away with the promise of what was to come so that he'd be careful and come back to her and Sophia. If she was serious about the coming days, what had she to fear? Bob was only going to be on the base, his battalion was slated to be the mobile reserve for Southern Californian, he'd only be deployed if things got really bad somewhere and she told herself that things weren't going to get that bad and Bob would be back in their bed in a couple of days, a week at most. Looking at the clock again Willow saw the numbers change, reaching out her arm she switched off the buzzer before it could sound and wake Bob up.

“Hey, honey,” Willow murmured into her husband's ear.

“What?” Bob groaned as he rolled over so he was facing Willow, “Aren't you ever satisfied?”

“Hell no,” Willow smiled, “but I didn't wake you up for that...” she took a deep breath, “...its time for you to get up.”

“Already?”

“Uh-huh,” Willow nodded, “you get a shower while I wake up Sophia and start on your breakfast.”

“Hey I'll eat at the mess,” Bob wrapped an arm around Willow and started to pull her closer.

“No!” Willow cried as she fought her desire for her husband down, “No time for that and hey, Jewish wife here, no husband of mine is going off to war without a good breakfast inside him.”

“Hell,” Bob sighed, one of the things Bob had quickly discovered about Willow was that when she got that certain look on her face there was no arguing with her, “I should have listened to my Drill Sergeant and married Mary Rottencrotch...”

“Move it Marine!” Willow ordered as she climbed out of bed and stooped to put on her robe.

“But on the other hand,” Bob smiled as his eyes took in Willow's semi-naked body, “maybe my buddies were right after all when they said 'marry the hot, Jewish, redhead'.”

0=0=0=0

**Giles, Joyce, Dawn and Faith.**

“Be careful,” Joyce said quietly to the accompaniment of Dawn making gagging sounds as her mother and Giles embraced right there in the kitchen; Dawn wondered why they couldn't have got this all done and dusted up in their bedroom, her sound effects were interrupted by a sharp elbow being dug into her ribs.

“Hey!” Dawn complained as she rubbed her side, she knew there'd be a bruise there latter.

“Grow up!” Faith warned the younger girl in a low voice.

“I know you love that library of yours, Rupert,” Joyce said as she relaxed her grip on Giles, “But I had hoped you loved me more.”

“But I have to go, don't you understand?” Giles pleaded.

“Of course I do,” Joyce let go of Giles and started to busy herself clearing up the breakfast things, something that was normally done by Faith or Dawn, “I'm just pulling your leg, I'd be just the same if we hadn't moved everything out of the gallery...”

Over the last few weeks, Joyce and her two partners had moved everything of value out of the Gallery to their homes where they hoped they'd be safe.

“Well hopefully I'll be home later tonight,” Giles explained as he picked up his automatic pistol and checked that it was loaded before slipping it into the holster on his belt.

Unlike Joyce, Giles hadn't finished moving his library to a safe location, both he and Snyder were convinced that Sunnydale High would be burnt down by the end of the day. They'd try and stop it from happening, but deep down Giles thought it was pointless as he suspected Snyder did too, but they'd both try.

“Look, Rupert,” Joyce put some coffee mugs in the sink before turning to face Giles again, “it's just a school, bricks and mortar it's not that important, can't you stay home with us girls?”

“Much as I'd like to...” Giles began but he was interrupted by Joyce again.

“I know, I know,” Joyce sighed defeated, “a librarian's got to do what a librarian's got to do and all that crap...”

“Mom!” Dawn cried unused to hear her mother say words like 'crap'.

“Hey!” Faith warned again.

“Hey yourself,” Dawn gave Faith an annoyed look, “sometimes you're as bad as Buffy.”

“I am?” Faith grinned, “Coool!”

“Oh I give up,” Dawn sighed heavily before jumping down from her stool and running over to Giles, she threw her arms around him and gave him a good hugging, “you come back you hear,” she told Giles, “no excuses, right.”

“I promise,” Giles gave Dawn a rather self-conscious hug in return, he wasn't used to Dawn treating him like a father figure.

“Okay watcher-man,” Faith stood just behind Dawn looking unusually uncomfortable before wrapping her arms around Giles and squeezing, “I'll look after 'em,” she whispered in his ear before letting him go.

“Right,” Giles looked at the three women in his life and wondered at how lucky he was, “Like I say I should be back by tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest,” he took a breath to steady himself, he really didn't want to go but he'd promised. “While I'm gone stay in the house and if there's any trouble...”

“Which there won't be,” Dawn pointed out.

“Go down into the basement you should be...”

“Yeah alright, Rupert,” it was Faith's turn to stop Giles saying what he wanted to say, “no one's gonna get passed me,” as if to illustrate her point, Faith picked up her twelve gauge shotgun, “at least not alive.”

Silently Giles cursed Faith's presence, if she hadn't been there he'd have had the perfect excuse not to go to school today.

“Ewww! Faith!” Dawn exclaimed.

“While the thoughts appreciated, Faith dear,” Joyce added, “I don't think that it'll be necessary.”

“Be prepared,” Faith replied darkly, “that's the slayer's creed, right Rupert?”

“I'm afraid so,” Giles agreed, “right where was I? Yes, like I say if you see trouble coming get down into the basement where Faith can protect you all...”

“I'm not peeing in a bucket for anyone!” Dawn declared.

“Dawn!” Joyce and Faith chorused warningly.

“Hopefully it won't be necessary,” Giles pointed out, he glanced at his watch, “Look I better be going.”

Checking once more that his pistol and spare magazines were where they were supposed to be, Giles picked up his briefcase that contained the packed lunch that Joyce had made for him and a couple of spare boxes of ammunition. He headed towards the front door with the ladies of the house following close behind him. At the front door there was another round of hugs and kisses as Joyce, Dawn and Faith said goodbye. They waved as Giles drove off in his battered old Citroen and vanished from view down Revelo Drive.

“Okay,” Faith said as she pulled Joyce and Dawn back into the house before closing and locking the door, “lets get this place ready.” Faith had been reading up on home defence and wanted everything to go smoothly, “Okay,” she grinned as she picked up her shotgun, “weapons check...”

“Got it,” Dawn replied as a little excitement entered her voice and she pulled her revolver from the small of her back.

“Here dear,” Joyce pulled a small nine millimetre pistol from the back pocket of the jeans she was wearing, “I hope we don't need these.”

“Better to have it and not need it,” chorused Faith and Dawn, “than need it and not have it!”

“Okay, okay,” Joyce held her hands up in defeat, “I get it now.”

“Jeez, thank god for that,” Faith grinned, “come on,” she headed for the back of the house, “lets lock the doors and close the windows...”

0=0=0=0

**Xander and Cordy.**

Standing in the bedroom he shared with Cordy, Xander looked at his reflection in Cordelia's full length mirror and couldn't help thinking that he looked like something out of, 'Platoon' or 'Full Metal Jacket'. He'd joined the 'Sunnydale Minutemen' because he thought it was something Buffy would have wanted to do; he still missed Buffy and when he found himself faced with a seemingly intractable problem he'd ask himself, what would Buffy do? Well, the answer to that was often, 'she'd hit it', which would make him laugh and clear his head so he could think up a non-violent solution.

The Sunnydale Minutemen were under the direct control of Mayor Finch. He'd formed the militia force because when SATs came round there needed to be someone with heavier firepower than anything the police had. Yes there was the National Guard and the Regular Army, but no one really believed that there'd be enough troops available to protect small places like Sunnydale particularly when LA was just down the highway and would soak up troops like a sponge once the crap finally hit the fan. So, Mayor Finch and the mayors of several other towns had formed their own militia forces. Their uniforms and weapons all came from stocks left over from the Vietnam war, their training had been given to them by the veterans in their own ranks and from copies of US Army training manuals bought from 'Survivalist' stores.

Today, Xander would be part of the militia force that would be backing up Sunnydale PD and a National Guard platoon that was defending Camp Sunnydale were the SATs were being held like they had been every year since The Others had turned up. Taking one last look at himself dressed in his slightly stiff uniform, Xander turned away from the mirror and picked up his equipment harness. He could feel by its weight that both canteens were full and the pack on the back of the waist belt had been packed with food and other useful supplies by Cordy. He was just putting his equipment on when Cordy came into the room carrying James in her arms.

“Nearly time,” she told him.

“Yeah I know,” Xander replied; they really hadn't got much left to say to each other, it had all been said the night before.

Cordelia had warned him that she would be really pissed if he went and got himself killed or even just injured. Xander had tried to reassure her that he had no intention of trying to be a hero and he'd come home as soon as he could; then they'd made love. Afterwards as he'd lain in bed holding Cordy he'd wondered why he'd joined the Minutemen, he'd shrugged his shoulders, it was what Buffy would have done and, well, it was the 'American' thing to do. Plus if he'd joined the National Guard he's be in an Engineer unit right now heading for LA and away from his wife and child. Once these thoughts had peculated through his mind, he'd made love to Cordy again. Now it was morning and he was following the woman he loved into their living room, he sat down at the table next to the kitchen area, while Cordy put James in his high chair before placing Xander's breakfast in front of him.

“Make sure you eat all that up,” Cordy had turned out to be a surprisingly good cook once she realised it was something she was going to have to do herself; or until she and Xander became rich and they could afford a cook and a maid, “you don't know when you'll get another cooked meal...”

“Cordy,” Xander said as he picked up knife and fork, “it's not like I'm going to Iraq or somewhere. I mean I could probably walk home for lunch.”

“You like totally believe that?” Cordy raised an eyebrow while her eyes bored into Xander's soul.

“Well,” Xander shrugged, “not really...but it _is_ only walking distance.”

“Whatever,” Cordy shrugged before starting to give James his breakfast.

The rest of the breakfast passed in a silence only broken by the sound of Xander's knife and fork and James hurling his breakfast across the table and his mother's annoyed exclamations. Just as Xander had finished his breakfast, almost on cue in fact, the sound of a horn from outside made him stand up and look out of the window towards the road in front of his apartment block.

“Truck's here,” he told Cordy; the truck like everything else the Minutemen had was old, this one looked as if it had started its military career back in World War Two. “I better go...”

Picking up his M14 rifle and checking one of his ammunition pouches for the magazine of twenty rounds which was the only ammunition he'd got; more was supposed to be issued when the militia got to Camp Sunnydale. He next picked up the old 'pot' helmet, holding it under his arm he turned to face Cordelia.

“Okay, I better go...” before he'd taken one step, Cordy had thrown herself at him and was holding him like she'd never let him go.

“I love you Xander Harris,” Cordy gasped, “I mean I _really_ love you...” suddenly the other Cordelia, the one he remembered from school came back, “So don't get killed...don't even get injured...a paper cut, yeah okay, I could live with that but...”

“Okay,” Xander hugged his wife, he could feel her breasts pressed against his chest even through his uniform and he wanted her so much right at that minute that...

The sound of the truck's horn interrupted his plans to make love to his wife one more time.

“You better say goodbye to James and go,” Cordy told him.

Letting go of Cordy he walked over to James and picked him up for a goodbye hug.

“You be a good boy and look after your mom, okay?” Xander said before handing the boy back to his mother. “Look if things get bad...” he said as he headed for the door, “...go to...” Xander stopped, who was Cordy and James supposed to go to for help, certainly neither of their sets of parents would be much good in an emergency, “...erm...go to Mrs Summers' place she'll know what to do...”

“Don't worry I will,” Cordy reassured him, before they kissed and Xander stepped out of the door.

0=0=0=0

Standing at the window, Cordy watched as Xander headed down the path towards the old army truck.

“Wave to daddy,” she told her son as she waved and Xander waved back.

Watching the truck drive away, Cordy tried to tell herself that tonight or maybe by the following night, Xander would be home and they'd make love and laugh about how silly they'd both been. As the last wisp of truck exhaust vanished into the bright Sunnydale air, Cordy turned away from the window. Putting James down for a moment she walked into the kitchen nook, opened a drawer and took out the pistol that was hidden there. Half ejecting the magazine to check it was fully loaded she slammed it back into place before hauling back on the slide to load the first round. Just because her husband was away doing his duty, and even if he was only half-an-hour's walk away, Cordelia wasn't going to sit at home scared out of her mind. No, Cordelia Chase had never been a victim and neither was Cordelia Harris.

0=0=0=0


	16. Chapter 16

16.

**SATs Day, Part II.**

**Xander.**

“What d'you reckon?” Xander asked his buddy, Pete Moore, “For or against?”

Across the street from the chain-link fence that surrounded Camp Sunnydale a group of about a dozen protesters had set up shop on the sidewalk. 

“For,” Pete said after a moment's thought, “gotta be religious loonies to be up this early.”

“Yeah,” Xander laughed, “your probably right.”

Although Xander thought that the Minutemen were up early, so what did that make them, but he didn't say it. The truck carrying the Minutemen had arrived at Camp Sunnydale a little over half-an-hour ago. There'd been thirty-seven of them and they were there to back up the Sunnydale PD guys and the platoon of National Guard sent to guard the camp. The thirty or so Guard were all the troops the Governor could spare to help protect Camp Sunnydale. On arriving at the camp, Xander and his fellow Minutemen had been given extra ammunition, in Xanders case about a hundred rounds but he only got an additional two spare magazines to go with them. This meant he had to keep sixty rounds in the cloth bandoleer they'd come in, he hoped that he wouldn't have to use them. He'd also been given two CS gas grenades and a civilian made gas mask so that if he had to use his grenades he wouldn't be reduced to a coughing, crying, retching wreck.

“Hey! What're you two jerk-offs doing?” called a female voice from behind Xander, “Goofing off?”

Turning, Xander saw Abby Cox, his squad leader, walk across the parking lot towards him. Abby was in her early thirties, tall with an athletic build and dark brown hair that was at the moment hidden under her helmet, more importantly she'd been a truck driver during Desert Storm and had actually seen combat more recently than the Vietnam War.

“Just watching our friends over there, Sergeant,” Pete pointed to the protesters on the other side of the street who now had their banners and placards out.

“Yeah,” agreed Xander as he read the words on the signs, “they look pro-taken to me...religious crazies...”

“Yeah you're probably right,” Abby Cox agreed as she came to stand next to the two young Minutemen.

Looking up Abby checked out the fence; it was about twelve feet high and topped with another couple of feet of barbed wire. On the street side of the fence there was maybe another six or eight feet of barbed wired which stopped at just over head height. The Army, who still ran Camp Sunnydale, didn't bother taking down all the barbed wire defences after SATs Day anymore. They left it up all year round and added to it every time a new consignment of wire came in. Abby had told her squad that she'd never seen anything like it even in Iraq and Kuwait.

“Okay you guys,” Abby said in what she called her, 'Sergeant's voice', “got some news for you.”

“It's been called off and I can go home to Cordy and James?” Xander asked hopefully and to the amusement of both Abby and Pete.

“Nah,” Abby shook her head and grinned, “your Cordy can rest easy, coz you ain't goin' nowhere.”

“Okay Serge,” Xander's shoulders slumped when he found he wouldn't be going home to his family just yet, “what do you want us to do?”

“Well you'll be glad to know,” Abby began, “that you won't be sitting around on ya butts all day...” Abby watched her two guys carefully, “...Minute _People_ ,” Abby objected to the term Minute _men_ for obvious reasons, “have been selected to act a bus guards.”

“Oh great,” Pete moaned, he wasn't a happy Minuteman or even 'person' just now.

“We've got to go out there!?” Xander pointed in disbelief at the group across the street who'd now started to sing hymns, “Like that's dangerous and you know what I do in the face of danger...”

“You run away and hide!” chorused Abby and Pete.

“You forgot 'laughing in its face' before running away,” Xander pointed out.

“Whatever,” Abby smiled as she put her arm around Xander's shoulder, “but just to make you happy, Harris, I'll be coming along with you.”

“Gee Sarge,” Xander replied insincerely, “you're just too good to us guys.”

“Ain't I just,” Abby agreed with a smirk.

0=0=0=0

**R-Ekir.**

Because he'd handled that unfortunate business of the dead hunter so well, R-Ekir found that the Board of Directors had 'promoted' him to be some sort of 'Troubleshooter', which was why he was standing on the bridge of the Human Gathering Ship, Ne-Merg. The ship was at present hiding in full view of the humans above the area the humans called, North America. Standing in front of the huge view-screen that dominated this end of the bridge, R-Ekir watched the planet below and wished he was safely at home tucked up in bed with his new pet Grace. He hated his new job, the job title gave you a clue as to why...'Troubleshooter', one word made out of two dangerous words, 'trouble' and 'shooter', he really didn't like the sound of either of them. However, while he was on the massive starship, there might be 'trouble' but there was unlikely to be any 'shooting'.

“Captain K-Rik,” R-Ekir called as he turned to face the main part of the bridge and all its busy technicians, “are these all your heads of departments?” R-Ekir nodded to the ship's officers who were standing near their captain, K-Rik nodded his head, “Then if we could use your 'Ready Room', Captain I'll tell you why I'm here.”

The Th-rim followed their captain and R-Ekir to the conference room just off the main bridge, once the door was closed, R-Ekir relaxed a little and took a data-crystal from one of his inside pockets.

“This,” R-Ekir held up the multi-coloured crystal, “contains your new orders...”

“New orders?” Captain K-Rik asked with a frown, “no one said anything about new orders?”

“If they had,” R-Ekir replied testily, “they wouldn't be new orders now would they?”

“Logical,” First Officer K-Cops nodded.

“Anyway here you are,” R-Ekir tossed the crystal to K-Rik who passed it to A-Ruhu his communications officer, “you can read it later but here is the gist of what it says,” R-Ekir took a deep breath. “Over the last few months the Board of Directors have put several new projects in motion that if successful will mean that this will probably be the last round-up that the company will have to be involved in...”

There were gasps and looks of concern from the officers.

“Don't worry,” R-Ekir smiled exposing unnaturally white teeth, “you will not be unemployed. The stock ships will be broken up and the officers and crews will be reassigned, probably to the exploration fleet.”

The officers sighed a sigh of relief, the exploration fleet was where the big money was made.

“Now back to the round up,” R-Ekir's smiled dimmed a little, “as a result of new company policies the Ne-Merg and her sister ships will not be rounding up any more male humans and will instead only collect hufems...”

“Hufems?” asked Officer U-Lus with a frown.

“Human Females,” First Officer K-Cops explained.

“But sir...” Captain K-Rik opened his mouth to speak.

“I know what you're going to say Captain,” R-Ekir smiled, “why, as the humans have gone to all the bother to collect all this stock for us, why are we only going to round-up the hufems?” R-Ekir paused for a moment and told himself it was safe to explain a little of what was happening to the officers, by the time they got home it would be common knowledge, “By using 'other means' the Board of Directors have decided to corner the market in hufems. The hufems we pick up on this round up will ensure genetic diversity for the foreseeable future. In the not too distant future any Th-rim who wants to buy a hufem will have to come to us and we will all become very rich Th-rim.”

Again the officers gasped at the boldness of the Director's plans.

“So,” R-Ekir's eyes moved along the row of officers, “Officer U-Lus I believe you are in charge of transporter control?”

“Yes Sir,” Officer U-Lus straightened to attention.

“You will set your transporters to pick up only non-pregnant hufems within the agreed age range, understand?”

“Yes Sir!”

“Medical Officer Y-Okcam,” R-Ekir turned to face an older Th-rim, “do you have everything you need to condition a cargo made up entirely of hufems?”

“I might be just an old country doctor,” Y-Okcam replied, “but I think I can handle it.”

“Good,” R-Ekir smiled widely, “then there's little more to be said,” he dismissed the ship's officers with a wave of his hand, “Captain, a moment if you would...”

“Sir?” K-Rik asked as he stood alone in front of the representative from the Board of Directors.

“Captain K-Rik,” R-Ekir said in a quiet, serious sounding voice, “Am I correct in saying that this ship is armed?”

“Yes,” K-Rik nodded, “why do you ask?”

“On that crystal I gave you is a new course for the round-up points...erm...”

“'Erm'? Sir?”

“Well to fill our holds with enough hufems we will have to go outside our designated round-up areas and some of our competitors might...” R-Ekir shifted uneasily, that worrying word 'shooter' kept popping into his mind, “...complain and...” he smiled nervously at the captain, “...well I'm sure I don't have to spell it out to you.”

“You think someone might shoot at us?”

“Uh-huh,” R-Ekir nodded.

“Well,” K-Rik shrugged, “I'm sure we can deal with every eventuality as it arises.”

“Good Th-rim,” R-Ekir patted the captain on his shoulder, “Good Th-rim, I knew I could rely on you.”

0=0=0=0

**Xander.**

It was nearly ten o'clock and so far everything had gone without a hitch, they'd already picked up one load of students and taken them to the testing centre at Camp Sunnydale. They'd managed to drive straight into the base with only a few thrown insults to worry about, the stones and petrol bombs would probably come later. On board the bus were Xander, his buddy Pete and their sergeant Abby. The driver was an ex-cop named Murphy and a civilian official who went by the name of Ms Doris Kroeger. Driving ahead of the armoured bus was a police car with two Sunnydale PD officers in it.

“Okay, Xander, your turn again,” Abby said quietly; each of the 'Minutepersons' took it in turn to accompany Ms Kroeger to the front door of each apartment or house to pick up the student who'd be taking his or her SATs today. 

They'd each gone through the progress half-a-dozen times so far this morning but familiarity didn't make it any easier. In a way it was worse for Xander, his own parents had been drunk when the bus had come to collect him, he doubted that they'd even noticed he'd left. Seeing the tearful faces of mothers and fathers when they opened the door only served to make him feel more than usually bitter and resentful.

“On it Sarge,” Xander picked up his rifle and checked that there wasn't a bullet in the breech, no one wanted a weapon going off by accident in the charged atmosphere of SATs Day.

The bus slowly came to a halt as Murphy drove over to the side of the street, once the vehicle had stopped, Murphy placed his hand on the door opening lever and looked at Xander as he waited for him to give him the nod to open the door.

“You ready, Ms Kroeger?” Xander asked the pleasant middle-aged woman who was checking her clip board as she waited for the door to be opened.

“As I'll ever be, Xander,” Ms Kroeger sighed heavily, “let's get on with it.”

“Open her up Murph,” Xander called as he walked down the steps and waited for the door to swing open.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Xander paused to look around, they were in a peaceful middle class street which, at the moment, was deserted apart from him, Ms Kroeger and the bus. No cars drove up and down the street, no children played on the neat lawns in front of the houses, but best of all there were no angry parents trying to stop him from taking their children away.

“Okay, Ms Kroeger,” Xander called softly, “it looks safe, lets move.” Stepping away from the bus, Xander waited for Ms Kroeger to step down onto the sidewalk, “Where to?” he asked as the woman stopped next to him and checked her clipboard once again.

“Number 1392,” she gestured to the house right in front of them, “Mr and Mrs Powell and their daughter Chloe.”

'Chloe Powell' the name sounded familiar to Xander, then it came to him as he led the way down the garden path to the Powell's front door. Chloe Powell a pretty brunette who'd been a couple of years behind him at Sunnydale High.

Arriving at the front door, Xander stepped forward to ring the doorbell before standing back to let Ms Kroeger do the talking. It was best if the first thing a parent didn't see was a uniform when they opened their door. There was a long pause and Xander was about to ring the doorbell again when he heard someone moving inside the house, good he thought as he heard someone start to unlock the door, turning he checked the street behind him. It was still quiet but the longer they stayed in one place the more likely a crowd might gather and crowds meant trouble nine times out of ten.

Xander was still watching the street when the door opened, the first indication he had that something was wrong was when he heard Ms Kroeger cry out in alarm. Turning, Xander got an impression of a black object pointing at Ms Kroeger's stomach but it wasn't until he hard the impossibly loud boom of the shotgun as it went off that he realised that there was a problem. Without making another sound Ms Kroeger fell backwards off the porch to lie in an ever expanding pool of her own blood on the path leading up to the door.

Xander could smell blood and the propellant from the shotgun as he stood there completely stunned and unsure what to do next. Frozen in place his eyes went from Ms Kroeger's body to the barrel of the shotgun in Mr Powell's hands as it tracked slowly towards him. He tried to bring his own weapon up, but it felt so heavy and he was moving so slowly he knew that any moment now a blast of buckshot was going to cut him in two and leave Cordy a widow and young James without a daddy. Just as the shotgun was pointing straight at him and Xander was convinced that he only had seconds left to live a surprised look came to Mr Powell's face as he started to slump to the ground; a fraction of a moment later Xander heard the rifle shot from the direction of the bus.

“HARRIS!” Abby yelled as she ran, rifle in hand towards the house, “WAKE UP!”

Shaking his head, Xander, noticed that the world was once again moving at its accustomed speed and his rifle didn't feel like it weighed several tons. Finally, remembering his training, Xander hauled back on the charging lever of his rifle. Loading his weapon he was just in time to jump over the corpse of Mr Powell and follow Abby into the house where he found himself confronting a hysterical Mrs Powell and her daughter Chloe.

0=0=0=0

There had been no more need for any more shooting, Abby told Xander to take the sobbing Chloe out to the bus while she used the Powell's telephone to call the incident in. The bodies would be collected and a new civilian worker would be dispatched to meet up with the bus at their next stop. Climbing up onto the bus, Abby passed the confiscated shotgun and a box of shells to Murphy.

“Hey you might need this,” she told the ex-cop who nodded his thanks and understanding, “Look guys,” Abby turned to Xander and Pete, “in future two of us will go to the doors and we'll be loaded for bear, okay? Anyone coming to the door armed gets shot, no questions, right?”

Xander and Pete nodded their agreement, neither of them wanted to die so they'd do what Abby told them to, even if that meant shooting first and asking questions later. As the bus pulled away from the sidewalk, Xander found himself watching Chloe Powell as she sobbed inconsolably in her seat. He couldn't help thinking that her father had ruined any chance she might have had of passing her SATs. Now she was bound to be taken, no one could pass a test after seeing their father killed.

0=0=0=0


	17. Chapter 17

17.

**SATs Day, Part III.**

**Xander.**

You don't experience a bomb blast so much as remember it afterwards. It's like a bad edit, or a record jumping a groove. On one side of the moment there is normality, or what passes for normality within the reality you inhabit, on the other...? Not pain, that comes later, but a stunned incomprehension. A tangle of ripped metal, dust, smoke and fire...and screaming, you never forget the screaming. Many years later you'll wake up in the middle of the night, your sheets soaked with sweat and you'll hear the screaming again...and again...and again.

Lying on the floor at the back of the bus, Xander wondered what was happening. One moment he'd been standing looking out of the rear window, checking they weren't being followed, the next...? The next he was lying on his back not knowing why he couldn't hear properly and why there was a huge lump of pink bubble gum stuck to the bottom of the seat he was at present lying under. It was a majorly large lump of gum, whoever had been chewing it must have had their mouth really full. Slowly Xander's hearing started to return and distracted him from his musings about the lump of gum.

Somewhere, pretty close by, a siren was going off and he really wished it would stop, it was starting to make his head hurt. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, Xander shook his head as he tried to clear it (someone must have filled it with cotton wool while he'd been asleep), everything looked and sounded fuzzy. Sitting there for a moment he suddenly saw that things didn't look fuzzy they _were_ fuzzy, it only took him a few more seconds to realise that the bus was full of smoke. Now the cotton wool had gone from his ears he realised that there wasn't a siren going off it was someone screaming in pain.

Slowly Xander realised what must have happened, one minute they'd been driving along the road towards the junction that would eventually take them to Camp Sunnydale. They'd had twenty or so students aboard when Abby had received a message on her cell to return to the camp. One moment they'd been driving along the street, the next Xander found himself lying on his back half under a seat and looking up at that large lump of gum. Using the seats to steady himself, Xander pulled himself to his feet and stood for a moment as he tried to work out what to do.

From where he was standing it didn't look so bad, the front of the bus looked beaten up and it appeared they'd crashed into a street-light. The students who were now starting to recover from whatever had happened and were looking around in confusion as they asked each other the age old question, 'What happen?'. The screaming from the front of the bus had stopped and Xander was just going to move down to the front to check things out when he realised he was forgetting something, it took him a moment or two to work out what it was.

“My rifle...” Xander muttered to himself.

Seeing the weapon on the floor he bent to pick it up, with his rifle firmly in his hand he stood up straight again and almost immediately doubled over and threw up on his boots.

“Ewww!” cried a girl who was sitting only a couple of feet away from where Xander had thrown up.

“Oh god...” Xander groaned as he spat vomit from his mouth; taking the canteen from off his belt he used some of the water to rinse out his mouth; once he couldn't taste his own vomit so badly, he realised he needed to do something.

“Okay people,” he called as he stood unsteadily in the aisle, “everyone stay in your seat until I find out what's happened.”

Moving towards the front of the bus, Xander realised that things were worse than he'd thought they were. Out of what remained of the front of the bus he could see the remains of their escorting Sunnydale PD cruiser. It looked like someone had opened it up like a sardine can. Bits of car lay on the road all around, there was no sign of the two cops that had manned the cruiser. Coming to the front of the bus, Xander saw how the street-light had caved in the roof of the bus. A headless Murph the driver still sat in his seat clutching the steering wheel. Something must have come in through the windshield and taken his head right off.

“Sarge?” Moving towards where Abby lay half in and half out of the windshield next to the door, Xander knew she was dead without having to check. There was a lot of blood, Abby must have been impaled on the broken glass.

Turning to face the rear of the bus again, Xander saw his buddy Pete and the Powell girl slumped together. There was a lump of metal in the girl's forehead, but Pete didn't appear to be injured. He was just slumped there as if he was asleep, but Xander knew he was dead by the way he wasn't breathing. Moving forward towards his friend he reached out and checked for a pulse, there wasn't one. Next, with amazing presence of mind that he'd never expected to find within himself, Xander started to strip his dead friends of spare ammunition, water and first aid pouches.

“Everyone okay?” he called as he stuffed spare magazines into his own pouches and hung his dead friend's bandoleers around his neck.

From the replies he got from the students no one appeared to have more than cuts and bruises; for a moment Xander considered that there was no way that these kids were going to pass their SATs. It seemed terribly unfair to him that these kids wouldn't get a fair shake because some asshole had decided to blow up their bus...whatever, he told himself, it was time to move.

“Right!” Xander tried to sound calmer than he felt, “Everyone off the bus out through the emergency door...MOVE!”

Herding the students along the bus, Xander heard someone open the emergency door and jump out. Getting to the door himself, Xander paused and looked back, he could see three or four students still slumped in their seats. Realising there was nothing he could do to help them, he jumped down onto the road behind the bus. Taking his rifle in both hands, he looked around trying to get his bearings, things looked vaguely familiar and he guessed that he was only a few hundred yards away from the camp and help. Unfortunately, between him and the camp were a lot of people who were protesting about 'Graduation Day'.

“Crap!” Xander cursed as he tried to think what was the best thing to do.

“Hey man,” a tall skinny kid grabbed hold of his arm and shook it, “like what do we do?”

“What?” this was way out of his comfort zone, Xander told himself.

It was then that two things happened. One of the guys in his group cried out and fell to the ground a huge hole in his chest leaking blood onto the roadway. Next, Xander heard the 'thumb' of the rifle firing. Knowing he needed to move and move fast, he turned away from where he'd thought the shot had come from.

“FOLLOW ME!” he yelled as he started to run towards the warehouse come office building in front of him.

0=0=0=0

“Darn!” Andy Hayes cursed softly as he worked the bolt of his rifle, he'd not meant to hit the kid, he'd been aiming at the soldier (one of Mayor Finch's, Minuteman, bully boys) and the kid had moved in front of the so-called 'Minuteman' just as he'd fired. “Get you next time.”

The ambush had gone off perfectly, better than perfectly in fact. The bomb had totalled the 'pig-mobile' and smashed in the front of the school bus. An added bonus was when the bus crashed into a street light and came to a complete stop, now Andy and his buddies would be able to liberate the other kids held in the vehicle.

It had been a little after his younger brother Bobby had been taken a couple of years ago that Andy had joined the 'Sons of Liberty' resistance group. He'd never believed all the government BS about how 'The Taken' were kidnapped by aliens, the Sons knew the truth. It was all a government plot to line their own pockets while keeping honest Joe's like him in their place and poor. The guys that the SOBs kidnapped would be worked to death in secret underground factories, that was why Andy and his friends couldn't find jobs. The government slave factories were undercutting honest companies because they didn't have to pay their workers. The girls would be forced to work in government run brothels or be sold as sex slaves to the highest bidders.

To cover all this crap up the government had came up with some lame-ass story about aliens and how this was happening all over the world. Everyone knew that the government controlled the media or the media was working hand in glove with the government. No one with a brain had been able to trust anything that was broadcast on the TV news for years. This was all a major conspiracy, but Andy and his buddies in SoL had seen through the lies, they knew the truth and the time had come for payback. Sighting on the soldier, Andy gently squeezed the trigger of his rifle, he'd not miss this time.

0=0=0=0

Standing in the doorway of the warehouse, Xander urged the panicking teenagers inside. The last kid had just run into the building and Xander was taking a final look around as he tried to spot the sniper who'd been using them as target practice. He could see nothing, whoever was out there wasn't showing himself. Just as he started to turn away he felt what felt like someone hitting him in the chest with a sledgehammer. His breath knocked out of him, Xander dropped his rifle and slumped against the door frame.

Clutching at his chest, Xander saw blood on his hand and realised he'd been shot. Sliding to the ground, he wondered why this was happening to him, he'd been having a really bad day and now he'd been shot! Sitting there propped up against the wall of the warehouse, he was vaguely aware of a couple of the students trying to help him. Another shot rang out and one of the teenagers cried out in pain before slumping over Xander's legs, he'd been shot in the head and was pretty obviously dead. The surviving student gave up trying to help and dived for cover back inside the warehouse.

“Crap!” Xander wheezed as he looked down at the blood on his hand and at where it oozed from the gaping wound in his chest.

This looked pretty serious, so serious in fact that it occurred to him that he might not survive. He started to find it difficult to breath as his lungs filled up with blood. Oh god, he thought what would happen to Cordy and James if he wasn't around to look out for them?

“Cordy...” Xander croaked just as another bullet hit him in the face and blew out the back of his head.

0=0=0=0

**Giles.**

Standing in a group, Giles, Snyder and about half-a-dozen teachers watched Sunnydale High burn. They'd tried to save the school but there'd just been too many rioters; with the police, National Guard and the Minutemen off guarding the test centres there'd been no one left over to guard things like schools. What spare people there were, were needed to protect more important places, like Sunnydale General and the townhall. The Fire Department had tried to get through and tackle the blaze but they'd been beaten back by the mob. As a consequence Sunnydale's high school had gone up in smoke.

However, it hadn't been a complete lose. Before the rioters had arrived the teachers had managed to get most of the books out of the library and all the moveable equipment from the science classrooms. Everything had been packed into a truck and taken to a secure location up in the hills north of Sunnydale. As soon as everything settled down again and it was safe they'd be able to start some basic classes at least. Now all there was to do was to watch the school burn in silence; eventually Giles broke the silence that had settled over the group.

“I think it would be wise if everyone headed for home,” he began, “there's nothing more we can do here and I'm sure we all have loved ones who are sitting at home worrying...”

Most of the teachers sounded relieved to be dismissed as they turned to head home and someone else had said what they'd all been thinking.

“Yes, thank-you all,” Snyder called to the rapidly disappearing backs of his staff, “I'll call you when...” Snyder stopped speaking when he saw that everyone except Giles was too busy heading home to bother listening to him, he turned to Giles and shrugged. “Whatever...”

“Have you got anywhere to go?” Giles asked all the time hoping that Snyder would say 'yes'; he didn't want to have to ask if the little man wanted to come back to Joyce's house but he thought he should.

“I'll go to the townhall, see if they need any help there,” Giles was surprised by Snyder's answer, “You better go home Rupert, I know you've got people waiting.”

“Yes indeed,” Giles replied before holding out his hand to Snyder, “I think we did good work here today...until we meet again.”

“Yes,” Snyder took hold of Giles' hand and shook it firmly, “until then...”

Without another word, Snyder turned and started to make his way towards the townhall; people, Giles told himself, never failed to surprise him. With a shrug he turned away from the still burning school and started to head for Revelo Drive.

0=0=0=0

**Willow.**

Hearing the knock on her front door, Willow got up from sitting in front of her TV where she'd been watching the news; things looked bad all over and the US military was being stretched to its limit. She'd had a call from her husband, Bob, a couple of hours ago to tell her his company was being deployed somewhere north of San Diego and not to expect him home for several days. Wondering who could be calling so late in the afternoon, Willow moved through her house until she came to the front door. Looking through the spy hole she saw the face of a handsome, dark-haired, Hispanic woman in her late twenties or early thirties, Willow recognised her immediately as the wife of her husband's platoon sergeant and opened the door.

“Mrs Garcia!” Willow cried in surprise.

“Mrs Jackson,” Mrs Garcia replied.

“Call me Willow,” Willow said as she stood back from the door, “you better come in...please.”

“Isabella,” the woman added as she entered Willow's home.

“You're the first person I've seen since Bob left this morning,” Willow explained as she led Isabella through to the family room, “you'll have to excuse the mess,” Willow said as the two women entered the room, “but I've been watching the news and looking after Sophia all day.”

“Not a problem, Mrs Jackson,” Isabella replied as she hovered in the doorway.

“Please sit down, and call me Willow,” Willow indicated a chair not covered in Sophia's toys, “can I get you anything, coffee? Juice? Tea?”

“No I'm fine,” Isabella moved a wayward soft toy and sat down, “you've been watching the news then?”

“Yeah, its like totally bad isn't it?”

“Sure is, did the L-t call you?”

“Yeah,” Willow smiled; it amused her how the military hierarchy even bled across into the wives of the Marines, “it looks real bad, but I'm trying not to worry, I mean our guys are Marines, the Nation's Finest.”

“Sure are, Ma'am, I had a call from my husband, Jeb, an' he says its worse than the news says it is...” Isabella paused for a moment, “...I think its time for the platoon wives to get organised.”

“Organised?” Willow queried, “Like how?” 

There were twelve women married to men in her husband's platoon and Willow was slowly starting to realise that as the platoon leader's wife she'd be 'in charge'.

“There's not so many Marines left on base,” Isabella explained, “an' if this gets real bad they're not going to be able told the perimeter.”

“And most of the married quarters are outside that perimeter?” Willow asked; she'd never thought that she and Sophia might be in danger in their own home, but what Isabella was suggesting appeared to make sense to her, “what do you suggest?”

“Me an' Jeb live in one of the older quarters nearer the centre of camp,” Isabella explained, “it'll be a squeeze what with the kids an' all, but everyone could move in with me...”

“I...” Willow was about to say that she didn't think it was necessary, but then she remembered what she's been watching on the news all day, “I...I think that's a great idea, what do we need to bring and how do we get the other wives to your house?”

“You got a car?” Isabella asked; Willow nodded in the affirmative, “Good I've got the addresses of all the wives, we can split them up and go 'round an' collect them.”

Willow got the feeling these were all things she should have known about, but she'd hardly had the time only having been a military wife for a couple of weeks.

“Don't worry, Mrs Jackson,” Isabella seemed to be able to read Willow's mind, “you're new to all this an' I should have come 'round to see you earlier...now what to bring...couple of changes of clothes for you an' your kid. Any food you might have, a sleeping bag or bedding, flashlight, spare batteries, stuff like that.”

“Okay,” Willow nodded as she made lists in her head, “and _please_ call me Willow...”

“Couldn't do that ma'am.”

“Why?”

“Coz you're in charge.”

“I am?” nothing in Willow's life had prepared her for being 'in charge'.

“You gotta gun?” Isabella asked finally.

“Erm, no,” Willow sounded shocked, “you think we'll need them...guns I mean.”

“Better safe,” Isabella replied, “don't worry I've got a spare you can have, can you shoot?”

Miserably, Willow shook her head, she felt so useless.

“Don't worry ma'am I'll check you out on it,” Isabella smiled and shrugged, “chances are if you need to shoot it you'll only have to fire it in the air to scare people off...” she grinned, “...you can hit the sky, right?”

0=0=0=0


	18. Chapter 18

18.

**Buffy and Crystal.**

Another day, another hunt; since they'd both become 'prey', Buffy and Crystal had experienced five hunting environments. There was the open 'plain' area where Crystal had endured her first hunt. Next came the 'Ruined City' a ten square mile area of semi-destroyed buildings made to look like a human city that had been fought over several times. There was a jungle area and a swamp area; finally there was 'The Mall'. Buffy hated the mall most of all.

The Mall was huge, it covered what had to be nearly two-and-a-half square miles of concrete and glass. It went up about ten stories and down another three. There were open well lit areas as well as dark narrow corridors and chambers; there were even copies of human stores which made Buffy feel home sick. But worst of all, every time Buffy had been hunted in The Mall she'd found that its layout had been subtly altered. The other hunting areas always remained more or less the same, new trees and bushes popped up but otherwise nothing much changed. But in The Mall you could find yourself heading down a corridor that had led you to a Safe Zone last time you'd been there, only to find yourself in a plaza swept by the 'paint balls' of hunters.

“Do you have malls in England?” Buffy asked as she and Crystal walked along a wide passageway which went between a big clothes store and a pet supply store.

“I'll 'ave you know my girl,” Crystal replied after giving Buffy a dark look, “that the very first, _ever_ shopping mall was built in London back in the time of the first Queen Elizabeth!”

“Oh...” Buffy glanced at her friend to see her looking at the display in the clothe's store window, “...its all fake,” she explained, “the first time I came here I went in to one of the stores looking for some clothes or something to use as a weapon...its all fake, just for show nothing useful. Even the glass,” Buffy touched a display window, “hunter paint balls go right through it without smashing it, so you can't even use broken glass as a weapon.”

“Wot if ya break the glass y'self?” Crystal wanted to know as she examined the window.

“Would you believe...”

“I'd believe anyfin' 'ere Buff.”

“...yeah like, totally, I broke a window thinking I could use some of the pieces as a dagger, right?” Buffy sighed heavily, “The fuckin'...”

“Language!” Crystal warned.

“Sorry, 'flippin'' glass broke with blunt, rounded, edges!”

“Cor...luv a duck, these so-an'-so's are real serious about us not fighting back.”

“Erm yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you about that,” Buffy said as they came to the end of the passageway and found themselves looking at a plaza with trees (fake of course), food concessions (again fake), benches and a fountain (not fake). 

Pausing Buffy studied the plaza for a moment before declaring it safe or at least as safe as anywhere was in The Mall. Their bare feet slapping on the strangely warm floor tiles, Buffy and Crystal jogged across the open area until they were in the shelter of another corridor. The warm flooring was another example of the weirdness that was 'The Others'.

The Others liked to keep their prey in tip-top condition. As a result Buffy and Crystal found that they weren't abused (unless you counted being hunted and possibly raped by a demon-like creature as being abused) in anyway. The barracks were warm and comfortable in a basic sort of way. The food, while not very exciting, was nourishing, plentiful and appeared to satisfy all of a humans dietary requirements. If you fell ill or got injured a human paramedic would turn up and treat you. If it was something that the paramedics couldn't deal with, you were taken to a 'hospital' where you were looked after by human nurses and the doctors were all very obviously robots. If it wasn't for all the hunting and the threat of rape and violence the place wouldn't be so bad.

“So, wot ya wanna talk to me abaht?” Crystal asked as they headed down the new corridor; as usual the hunt had started on the ground floor and the 'End Zone' was on the top floor, wherever that might be today.

“You know I totally killed that hunter a while back?”

“'Ow could I forget?” Crystal grinned, “An' ya still 'aven't told me 'ow ya did that...

“Right, whatever,” Buffy brushed Crystal's comment to one side, she wasn't ready yet to explain about being the slayer, “we never got into trouble about that did we?”

“Nah,” Crystal shook her head.

“So I'm thinking we totally start to fight back,” Buffy came to a halt and turned to face her friend, “I mean what have we done so far? We both let ourselves be brought to this place to find out what was going on and we've found out nothing.”

“Ya not wrong,” Crystal agreed, “you're finkin' abaht knocking off a few more of the blighters?”

“Yeah...” Buffy giggled at Crystal's use of the word 'blighters' it was just like something Giles would have said, “...not too many. Like, say one each time we're hunted.”

“Y'know even these sods'll notice if too many of 'em disappear,” Crystal pointed out.

“If we hide the bodies they might not even notice for awhile,” Buffy pointed out.

“Look I'm not against the idea in principle,” Crystal pointed out, “but I don't wanna end up hangin' by me tits bein' used as target practice, or whatever these sods do to ya if they find out we've bin knockin' 'em off.”

“That's why I wanted to talk to you about it first,” Buffy explained.

No sooner had the words left Buffy's mouth than the two girls heard a multitude of bare feet slapping on the floor tiles as a group of 'prey' headed in their direction, each one determined to give their hunters the maximum entertainment.

“Oh crap,” Buffy cursed under her breath, looking around she pointed to the door of what looked like it was supposed to be a toy store, “quick,” she pulled on Crystal's arm, “in here...”

Running into the store, Buffy and Crystal hid as they watched 'the prey' jog passed chattering about how they would do their very best to give their master's a good hunt. This was another thing that Buffy and Crystal hadn't discovered; why did people act like such 'victims'? The Others had done something to their prey to make them docile and eager to be hunted. Buffy suspected that her slayer-ism had saved her from the same fate; she also had no recollection, other of being on one of the alien ships, of what had happened to her before she became prey. Crystal, on the other hand, had a clear memory of being some demon's sex toy; of even enjoying having sex with one of the eight foot tall monsters. She'd told Buffy that she'd thought that nothing strange was going on and she was living in some sort of weird erotic dream. Then her 'master' had started to beat her before sex; Crystal had suddenly 'woken up' to what was happening to her, hit her master over the head with a vase and had run away. Eventually she'd ended up as Buffy's roomy and the two girls had started to plan their escape.

“I used to 'ave one of these when I was little,” Crystal said sadly as she pointed to a doll on a shelf.

The doll wasn't real, it was part of a moulded display designed to look real from a distance. Up close you could see how the detail was blurred and the writing on the packaging wasn't actually any language either girl could recognise.

“Buffy,” Crystal looked from the fake doll to her friend, “in those immortal words...lets kill 'em all!”

“All?” Buffy frowned, “I was thinking of one or two here and there...”

“Think of it as a work in progress...” Crystal smiled before she became more serious than Buffy had ever seen her go before, “...this 'as got to stop, Buff, I'd rather die than sit 'ere an' do nuffin'.”

Looking out of the window Buffy watched as about twenty or thirty naked boys ran by, mixed in with this group were perhaps half-a-dozen girls. This was something else that Buffy didn't understand, how come when boys outnumbered girls by at least five to one and everyone was naked and, hey, teenage boys, right? Why had she never seen even an attempt at sexual assault?

“I know exactly wot ya finkin', Buff,” Crystal stood at Buffy's side as she watched the crowd of teenagers run by, “I fink they put somefin' in the tea...”

“Huh?” Buffy looked at the English girl and frowned, she totally didn't get the reference, “Whatever, we don't wanna go that way...” as usual Buffy and Crystal were trying to keep away from large groups of 'prey', prey attracted hunters and hunters meant they might get stunned and raped. “...lets double back and see if we can find a service area and sneak through that way.”

Standing in the door way of the shop, Buffy paused and looked up and down the passageway, seeing it was empty she was just about to lead Crystal out of the shop when she heard the distinctive pop-pop-popping of hunter's guns coming from the direction in which the teenagers had gone. No sooner had the shooting registered in Buffy's mind than she heard screaming and shouting.

“BACK!” Buffy yelled as she turned around and started to push Crystal back into the store, “We need to find somewhere to hide!”

“Not arguing!” Crystal turned to run back into the store; one of the things Buffy loved about Crystal was the way she didn't argue in times of crisis.

Ducking between two shelves, Buffy paused to look back the way they'd just come. Looking around the end of the shelves loaded down with their fake toys, Buffy saw a crowd of teenagers run back passed the store front, there was a burst of rapid pops as a hunter fired his weapon somewhere out of Buffy's field of view. The 'paint-balls' hit the teenagers with bright yellow flashes of light. Once hit the boy would turn into a red mist that then fell like bloody rain onto the floor. Horrified Buffy watched as a dozen or more teenage boys were killed in the same gruesome manner.

“Flippin' 'eck, Buff!” Crystal exclaimed, “wots goin' on?”

Buffy knew exactly what Crystal meant, the paint-balls were supposed to be randomly loaded, a mixture of stunning and lethal balls. The balls these hunters appeared to be using seemed one-hundred percent lethal! 

“Maybe someone changed the rules,” Buffy watch fascinated as a girl was caught in the open as several lethal balls went off around her.

At least that hadn't changed, girls couldn't be killed by a ball, they exploded before they hit their target; Buffy had speculated that it was something to do with the chip everyone was fitted with. However, a girl could still be hit by a stun ball and then the hunter could rape his target and if he really felt like it, kill her with a knife or something, although that rarely happened. The girl cowered against a shop window and Buffy was starting to wonder why she didn't just run when a bright blue flash surrounded the girl and she fell, semi-conscious to the floor. The stun-balls didn't knock you unconscious, after all where was the fun in raping a girl who was dead to the world.

“Back! Back!” Buffy whispered as she backed down the gap between the shelves, “We need somewhere to hide.”

“Got it!” Crystal padded off silently only to return a few seconds later, “I found what looks like a store room, we can barricade the door.”

“Show me...” Buffy was about to follow her friend when she sensed a hunter close by; turning back towards the way they'd just come, she saw the barrel of a hunter's gun appear around the corner of a line of shelves, “...RUN!”

Pushing Crystal away from the direction from which the demon was coming, Buffy turned to confront her foe; she'd been talking about fighting back and providence had provided her with a chance to put those words into action. Springing forward, Buffy started to run down the aisle just as the demon turned the corner. He looked comically surprised to see what to him was a tiny human female charging at him. However, he recovered quickly and fired his weapon. Although the balls didn't hit Buffy they did explode all around her making her flinch and stumble. Recovering quickly Buffy continued her charge, with only a couple of yards to go she registered the blue flash that engulfed her body, once more she stumbled as she lost control of her arms and legs for a moment.

Staggering onwards, Buffy tried to close the last couple of feet to the monster only to be hit twice more by bright blue flashes of light. This time Buffy did lose complete control of her body and went crashing to the floor. Lying helplessly on the ground at the demon's feet she still tried to move, but her arms and legs flapped about like she was a fish out of water, in the state she was in now she couldn't have fought off a kitten let alone a seven foot tall demon.

Hearing the demon put down his rifle through ears that seemed like they were stuffed full of cotton wool, Buffy watched in horror as the monster turned her over to lie on her back, she knew exactly what the monster intended to do, she'd seen other demons do exactly the same thing to other girls often enough. The only difference was that now all the 'reasons' she used to justify not doing anything to help the victim came back to haunt her.

Using his booted foot, the demon kicked Buffy's legs apart, he smiled showing sharp fangs as Buffy groaned and tried to resist. Letting his trousers drop to his ankles (a strangely human action) the monster knelt down between her thighs. It was only then that Buffy realised just how big the demon was, on a good day, Buffy was five-foot-two, this monster was tall even for a demon, he had to be about eight-feet high at least, almost twice as tall as her. Knocking away her feeble attempts at fighting back the demon laughed at her struggles as he positioned the tip his oddly shaped penis between the lips of her vagina.

Gasping, Buffy felt the monster slide himself into her, she'd expected it to hurt but it didn't, but that didn't stop her from trying to fight back. However the demon didn't seem to notice as he got down to the serious business of raping the small, human, female he'd caught. Buffy was gasping now, not only had the demon rested most of his weight on top of her, her body was starting to respond to the monster. A part of her mind noted that the action of the demon's penis wasn't so much, in and out, but more, around and around. Remembering what Crystal had told her about enjoying sex with her demon master, Buffy tried to stop herself from becoming excited. But, it was no good, very soon she found herself moaning and writhing under her attacker as waves of pleasure went through her body and battered on the door of her mind. Just as she felt her excitement growing to almost unbearable levels she felt herself slip away into unconsciousness. Just her luck, she thought in the moments before the darkness claimed her, after all this and she didn't get to orgasm!

0=0=0=0

Standing with her back against the door of the cleaner's cupboard, Crystal heard Buffy's cries turn from anger and fear to those of sexual excitement. Looking around the small dimly lit room she looked for something to use as a weapon, but even in here everything was fake, a one piece moulding of some sort of plastic-like material. What ever everything was made of it was useless as a weapon. Crystal knew that she wasn't strong enough to fight the monster, Buffy was but it seemed even she wasn't immuned to the stun-balls although she had heard the alien shoot several times. Normally it only took one hit to leave a girl helpless, Crystal had heard the alien shoot three or four times, Buffy was obviously tougher than she looked and then of course there was the superstrength. She'd tried to ask her about that several times, but Buffy had neatly avoided answering her questions.

Listening intently, Crystal could hear nothing now. Opening the door a little she put her eye to the crack and listened as hard as she knew how. Not hearing or seeing anything, she opened the door wide enough to fit her head around the corner. There she could see Buffy lying on the floor with her legs wide apart and the strange, greenish-white stuff that the aliens used for semen oozing from her vagina, the stuff always reminded her of rice pudding that had gone off. When she'd been an alien's sex slave she'd always washed the stuff out of herself as quickly as she could. It didn't smell bad and it had never hurt to have it inside her, it didn't even taste bad; it was just that she didn't like the way the bits of 'rice' wriggled about.

Pushing these memories to the back of her mind, Crystal ran over and knelt down next to Buffy. Apart from some bruising on her inner thighs, breasts and shoulders she didn't look too badly hurt. The real hurt would start when she woke up and realised what had been done to her. For Crystal it hadn't been so bad. When she'd had sex with her alien, she'd been under the influence of whatever the 'Others' did to people to make them docile and eager to please. Plus, Crystal had had quite a lot of sex back home, she wasn't a slut or anything, she just enjoyed sex and to be honest, she found sex with her alien master pretty exciting. However, she'd got the impression that Buffy had some hang-up about sex and had only done it a couple of times...there'd also been something about a boyfriend who'd gone a bit 'weird' after having sex with her, but she'd never been able to get Buffy to open up about it and tell her the full story.

“Okay, girl,” the words came from the mouth of a human paramedic, “you better get back to the hunt we'll look after your friend...she's probably just suffering from a case of sexual overload.”

“Yeah, right,” Crystal answered dubiously, what the hell was 'sexual overload'?

“Is she your friend?”

“Uh-huh,” Crystal nodded keeping her answers to a minimum, in her life she'd found it wise not to appear to be too clever.

“Then don't worry she'll be okay and back in your barracks in a couple of days, now get!”

0=0=0=0


	19. Chapter 19

19.

**Faith and Dawn.**

It was no use denying it, Faith was restless. It was the evening of the third day after SATs Day and she'd not really seen any action. On SATs Day itself the only problem on Revelo Drive had been when half-a-dozen yahoos had come down the street looking to loot some of the houses while the police were otherwise engaged. Faith had chased them off by firing a couple of shells from her shotgun over their heads. Although she felt proud that she hadn't followed her slayer instincts and killed them, the slayer in her wanted to go out and _do_ something or someone. But instead she'd stayed at home to protect Dawn and Joyce.

On SATs Day afternoon the local TV station had gone off the air along with Radio Sunnydale, which usually broadcast an eclectic mix of music and wasn't much in to news anyway. Out of touch with the world the three women had hidden in the basement with only Faith coming up to take a swing around the house every so often. It wasn't until Giles came back late on SATs Day that they found out some of what had happened.

Sunnydale High had been burnt down along with several other schools. Shops had been looted and there had been a number of firefights between various pro/anti Taken groups, the police, Minutemen and National Guard. The few Regular Army troops in Sunnydale had remained inside Camp Sunnydale and had exchanged fire with snipers trying to disrupt the SATs. The following day the TV came back on air with a message from Mayor Finch telling people to remain calm and that martial law had been imposed before adding that looters would be shot on sight. It was around lunch time that the first rumours that something strange had happened at the SAT sites had started to circulate.

It was late on the afternoon of the second day that Faith declared that the area around Revelo Drive was as safe as it was likely to be in the near future and they might as well go back up stairs and sleep in their own beds tonight. As soon as they retook the rest of the house, Mrs Summers made everyone a big meal (the electricity hadn't gone off in the Revelo Drive area as it had in some others) and Faith brought the TV into the dinning room so they could watch it while they ate. It was only then that they started to hear the first confirmed reports of what had happened at the Sunnydale SATs site and at several others in northern California.

It appeared, and the authorities were trying to down play the news, that only girls had been taken from the SATs sites. No pregnant girls had been taken, but all the other girls, even those who'd been expected to pass their SATs had simply vanished. By the third day the reports about the missing girls were confirmed, it was also reported that in Sunnydale at least no boys had been taken, this started another wave or rioting and fighting. This time, with the police, Minutemen and National Guard being tired and as rumour had it, running low on ammunition, things actually got worse than they had been on SATs Day.

It was getting on for dusk when Faith decided to head on out and patrol the area around Revelo Drive, perhaps even go into the centre of Sunnydale and check on Joyce's store for her. Slipping her automatic into the holster on her belt, Faith stuffed some spare magazines into the pockets of her jeans. Next she slipped on her battered old denim jacket and filled the pockets with spare cartridges for her shotgun. Next she slid her favourite knife into the sheath she'd laboriously sewn into the inside of her jacket. Finally she picked up her shotgun, racked the first round into the breech and replaced the shell with one of the spares that were scattered on her bed.

Stopping by the family room she told Giles and Joyce what she was going to do and where she was going before heading off out the door with Joyce's warnings to be 'careful' still ringing in her ears. Although she knew that Giles was fully capable of protecting Dawn, Joyce and the house, Faith still felt that she should stay at home and look after things there. However, the slayer in her wanted to be out, roaming the streets and kicking butt. She hadn't gone more than fifty yards down the street when she heard running footsteps coming up behind her. Turning as only a slayer could, Faith levelled her shotgun and only just stopped herself from blasting an enormous hole right through Dawn's stomach. 

“FAITH!” Dawn called as she ran to catch the older girl up, “Wait up!”

“HEY!” Faith gasped as she raised the muzzle of her weapon so it wasn't pointing at Dawn anymore, “Don't do that, I almost killed ya!”

“I've every faith in you not shooting me Faith,” Dawn grinned, “Get-it? Faith in Faith?”

“Yeah, okay,” Faith smiled at Dawn, “I get it, but what ya doin' out here, you should get back home, does ya Mom and Mr G know ya out?”

“No,” Dawn replied defiantly, “an' I want to go on patrol with you.”

“Ya can't.”

“Why not,” Dawn pouted.

“Ya might get hurt.”

“So might you.”

“That's different,” Faith claimed.

“How?”

“Erm...” Faith found she didn't have a good answer for that.

“I mean,” Dawn pressed what she perceived as her advantage, “its not like we're going to be attacked by vampires and demons, they're all gone...” she hauled out her .38 from the small of her back where it lay hidden under her jacket, “...and I've got this so I can shoot any normal bozos that might try to mess with the 'dynamic duo'!”

“The what?” Faith frowned at Dawn.

“Oh come on Faith, even you musta heard of Batman and Robin...”

“Yeah whatever,” was the closest Faith would come to admitting that she'd heard of the comic book characters.

“Like you're so totally like Bat-woman and I'm like 'Robina the girl wonder'.”

“Whatever,” Faith sighed knowing she'd lost this battle, but maybe she could still win the war, “ya know ya mom is gonna yell and Mr G will give ya one of his 'not angry but really disappointed' looks, an' make that weird clucking noise he does...”

“Yeah,” Dawn shrugged, “but I'm willing to like risk it.”

“Okay,” Faith gave up with a shrug, if the truth was known she liked the idea of having Dawn along, her own little sidekick; Faith eyed Dawn for a moment and found herself checking out Dawn's 'rack', not so little any more she told herself. “Hey you an' Kevin made out yet?”

“What?” Dawn replied as she fell in with Faith and they started to walk along the street out towards the main road.

“Nothing,” Faith replied; obviously not she thought, either Kevin had more will power than any boy she'd ever met or he was gay. “Look, since ya coming with, there's rules.”

“Rules?” Dawn asked.

“Yeah,” Faith thought it was time to let Dawn in on the realities of the world, “Do what I tell ya when I tell ya and don't get shot or raped!”

“RAPED!?” Dawn shrieked as she came to a sudden halt.

“Yeah,” Faith turned to look at the younger teenager, “Ya heard the TV guy, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Dawn nodded.

“All those girls gone,” Faith explained, “there's bound to be some asshole out tonight looking for some tail...”

“Tail?” Dawn thought for a moment before she realised what Faith meant, “Oh...tail, right totally.”

“An' two hot chicks like us are likely to attract more than our fair share...”

“You think I'm hot?” Dawn preened.

“Ya missing the point,” Faith replied with a low growl.

“Like, I think I'm totally safer out here with my very own slayer bodyguard,” Dawn explained with irrefutable teenage logic, “than at home with only my mom and an old librarian to defend my honour!”

“Oh crap...” Faith found herself sighing once more; in a way the girl was right, she'd die rather than see anything bad happen to Dawn, and with the best will in the world Giles wasn't a slayer or even a soldier, “...okay, but the other stuff still goes, right?”

“Right,” Dawn grinned at Faith, “do as I'm told when I'm told, no getting shot an' defiantly _no_ getting raped.”

“Cool,” Faith replied as they continued their walk towards central Sunnydale.

“So,” Dawn wanted to know, “where are we going?”

“Thought I'd swing by the mall where ya mom has her store,” Faith pointed on down the road in the general direction of Sunnydale's main street, “then patrol a little see if I can pick up any news that's not on the TV.”

“Could we swing by Lisa, Janice's and Kevin's houses...pleeez?”

“Wanna check on ya boyfriend huh?” Faith leered, “an' when are ya gonna get down an' dirty with that guy?”

“Yeah, an' you think I should?”

“Like I say, its up to you kid, an' remember I'll get ya some rubbers if ya wanna go all the way.

“I don't know...” Dawn blushed a pretty shade of pink, “...I mean I've thought about it.”

“An' ya still not sure?” Faith said as she paused to scan the street ahead of her, she could patrol and give Dawn boyfriend advice at the same time; it was easy, she simply told her to do the opposite of what she'd done when she was Dawn's age.

“No,” Dawn replied miserably.

“Then ya best not do anything 'til ya sure ya sure...”

The two teenagers walked through central Sunnydale. A lot of the stores on main street were burnt out but places like the Civic Centre Plaza and the Mall on Broadway were untouched. This was probably something to do with all the police and Minutemen defending them. The two girls got some suspicious looks from the cops and militia guys. In fact a couple of female cops came over to check them out. However, on hearing Faith's story about how she and her her 'sister' had come into town to check on their 'mom's' store the cops seemed satisfied and just told them to be careful and asked if Faith knew what she was doing with the pump action shotgun she was carrying. After reassuring the cops that she knew what she was doing, they let Dawn and Faith go on their way.

“What's all this about being sisters?” Dawn asked as they headed away from the Civic Centre.

“Hey,” Faith nudged Dawn with her elbow, “ya gotta admit that we look more like sisters than you an' Buffy, I've seen the photos ya mom took.”

“I suppose,” Dawn admitted; the truth was she'd been seeing Faith more and more as her big sister lately, “I'll never forget Buffy,” Dawn added, “but, I kind of like the idea of having a big sis again.”

“Cool,” being an only child, her mother had only slipped up the once, Faith was finding she liked having a mom and dad and a little sister even if they weren't 'real'.

They swung by Sunnydale High to find the school was a blackened ruin, it almost looked as if someone had blown it up. They stopped off for snacks at Ralph's Grocery Company which was just across 'G' Street from the ruined school. Although the rioters had burnt the school down they'd not touched Ralph's and the man himself was standing outside his store guarding it with an assault rifle in his hands. He recognised Dawn and Faith and greeted them with a cheery smile before asking them if they were okay. After leaving Ralph's the girls headed north towards where Janice and Lisa lived, the two girl's lived on the same street so Dawn and Faith could check on them before swinging by Kevin's house. They were at the junction of 'A' Street and Forth Avenue when Dawn spotted the car that had crashed into a street light.

“Hold up Faith,” Dawn called quietly as she looked the car over; they'd seen a lot of crashed or abandoned cars, “that looks like Xander and Cordy's car.”

“What?” Faith followed Dawn's pointing finger, she admitted to herself that it did look like the Harris' car, but so did a lot of other cars.

“Come on,” Dawn started to cross the street towards the wreck.

“Hey!” Faith called as she started out after Dawn; as she got closer to the car she saw the bullet holes in the body work and the punctured tires, she was starting to get a bad feeling about this.

“Faith...” Dawn cried out as she stopped next to the vehicle, “...this _is_ Xander and Cordy's car, what's it doing out here and where's Cordy and the baby?”

“Don't know kid,” Faith replied as she walked around the car to see the driver's door was standing wide open.

Looking in at the empty driver's seat Faith saw it all in her mind's eye. Cordy was probably on her way over to the Summer's house; she knew that Cordelia was by herself and Xander was out doing his Minuteman thing. Perhaps, Cordelia had got lonely or frightened and had headed over to Revelo Drive, but it was obvious she'd never got there. Looking around, Faith saw several points from which an ambush could have been sprung. Whoever, had taken out the tires making the car crash, then they'd dragged Cordelia from the car and...Faith didn't want to think about what had happened to Cordelia Harris, her mind was full of enough crappy images to add the picture of a beaten, raped and dead Cordelia Harris to them.

“Where's James?” Dawn asked quietly from next to Faith, “Cordy would never abandon him...”

“Hey girls...”

Turning Faith found herself confronting a middle-aged, male cop in a dirty uniform.

“You know the owner of this car?”

Before Faith had had a chance to deny anything Dawn spoke up.

“Yeah, it belongs to Cordelia Harris, I baby sit for her sometimes...” Dawn's voice petered out as she saw the look in the cops eyes, “...oh no...!”

“Dawnie!” Faith was at Dawn's side in an instant and wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulder, “What's wrong Officer?”

“Near as I can tell,” the cop directed his comments to Faith, “this Mrs Harris got ambushed on the evening of SATs Day...they...”

“I guess I know what they did,” Faith replied, “is she...?”

“Sorry yeah...”

“Where's James?” Dawn demanded, “Cordy wouldn't leave him behind...at least not without a fight.”

“The baby?” the cop said brightening a little, “he's alive and being looked after at Sunnydale General...Miss...?”

“Summers,” Faith replied before Dawn could say something to complicate things, “this is Dawn I'm Faith.”

“Do you know if Mrs Harris had any relatives?”

“Xander's in the Minutemen, they've both got parents but they don't talk if you know what I mean?” Dawn explained.

“I think I do,” the cop replied as he took out a note book and started to write, “Look,” he said as he handed Faith a page from his notebook, “that's got my name, badge number and a phone number where I can be contacted...it'd really help if you went and talked to your parents and maybe looked after the kid until we can find his dad.”

“Okay,” Faith gave the cop Joyce's contact details, “we'll do that...”

“That'd be a big help, you'd be helping your friend and the town...” the cop paused before looking Faith straight in the eye, “...things are a real mess if you know what I mean?”

“I think I do,” Faith admitted.

0=0=0=0

**R-Ekir.**

“Well done, R-Ekir,” boomed the voice, “well done indeed!”

“Thank-you sir,” R-Ekir looked up at the giant face on the view-screen on the bridge of the starship.

“Yes,” the face of R-Ojam, a very high up executive beamed down on the lowly Th-rim, “I think I can safely say, that if you continue the way you're going you'll go far in the company and,” R-Ojam's smile got even wider to expose a row of carefully tended and very sharp looking teeth, “there'll be a nice fat bonus in your account by the time you get home.”

“Erm...thank-you, Sir, but I couldn't have done it without the hard work and co-operation of Captain K-Rik and his officers and crew.”

“Don't worry,” R-Ojam's voice dropped in volume slightly, “I'm sure there'll be something for the good captain and his Th-rim...now R-Ekir,” R-Ojam's smile took on an almost predatory aspect, “how many did you get?”

“We've not finished counting,” R-Ekir replied, “but initial estimates would suggest we captured in excess of eight-hundred-thousand-seven-hundred-and-fifty Hufems...”

“All from the assigned target area?” R-Ojam's voice sounded more eager than normal.

“Yes Sir,” R-Ekir confirmed, “they're all from the areas known to the humans as North, Central and South America.”

“They're by far the best, you know,” R-Ojam pointed out before changing the subject, “Was there any problems with the other stock company's ships?”

“None, Sir, we took them completely by surprise,” R-Ekir explained, “but I expect you'll get some complaints from the head offices of several companies...”

“Nothing our lawyers can't deal with...nothing for you to worry about young Th-rim,” R-Ojam smiled down on R-Ekir like a dotting father on a new clutch of hatchlings. “Now when you get home I'll have a new job for you...”

“Oh good, Sir,” R-Ekir didn't sound pleased he hated his post as 'Company Troubleshooter' because it might get him into trouble and shot.

“I knew you'd be excited,” R-Ojam replied seemingly not noticing R-Ekir's reluctance.

“Oh Sir,” R-Ekir took a pad from a crew-Th-rim and read from the screen, “I've just received a final tally of the stock we rounded up...”

“Go on,” R-Ojam said eagerly.

“Confirmed as nine-hundred-thousand-one-hundred-and twenty-four, Sir.”

“Excellent,” smiled R-Ojam, “excellent!”

0=0=0=0


	20. Chapter 20

20.

**Buffy and Crystal.**

Crying out in fear and alarm, Crystal pushed herself through the undergrowth as she ran from the hunter who was only a dozen or so yards behind her. The branches of trees and bushes grabbed at her as she passed or whipped her body to leave angry red welts across her sunburnt skin. Running on, she thanked the universe that she'd got interested in running for charity back home, if she hadn't the hunter would have stunned and caught her ages ago. Hearing the popping of the hunter's gun she dodged to the left and caught a glimpse of two paint-balls exploding where her body had been only moments before.

Running on, her feet pounding on the soft earth, Crystal felt some low branches scratch her legs just before her foot was caught by an exposed root. Tripping, she fell into a pool of filthy, stagnant water. The hunter hearing her fall fired a couple of speculative shots in her direct but once again missed his target. Coughing and spluttering, Crystal emerged from the water like some primordial swamp beast her beautiful blonde hair plastered to her head by the filthy water. Knee deep in the water she waded to the bank and clambered out onto what passed for dry land in the swamp environment. 

Knowing that if she could gain just a little more distance between herself and the hunter she'd be free. Hunters would often give up on a prey that was proving too hard to catch, nine times out of ten they'd abandon the chase and go after easier prey. Unfortunately it looked like she'd got the stubborn one out of ten who would chase her until he'd shot and caught her and then... Well, Crystal knew what would happen, she'd seen it happen to other girls, it had even happened to her friend Buffy and that was something she'd never thought to see happen.

Pausing as she caught her breath for a moment, Crystal saw the stand of trees over to her right, they were only about twenty or thirty yards away. If she could get to them she'd be able to lose the hunter and continue her journey towards the End Zone. However, it was just her luck that the area between where she was now and the trees was almost bare of any cover. Taking a deep breath, Crystal sprinted for safety of the trees.

0=0=0=0

Crashing through the undergrowth, K-Cin glimpsed a flash of light coloured skin, raising his rifle to his shoulder he fired twice. The projectiles flew wide of their target and hit a tree; cursing to himself K-Cin pushed on through the swamp. He was beginning to think that this hufem was more trouble than she was worth and perhaps he should break off his pursuit and go after slower and less cunning prey. But, he'd been chasing her for sometime and if he went back to his fellow hunters not having caught and used this hufem he'd be a laughing stock, they'd never let him forget his failure.

Coming out into an open area, K-Cin was just in time to see the hufem disappear into a clump of swamp trees not twenty paces away. Again he paused as he wondered whether it was worth all the time and energy to flush the prey out of the trees, but then he remembered about his fellow hunter's mocking laughter when they discovered his failure. Gripping his rifle more firmly and straightening his shoulders, K-Cin advanced on the trees, he'd show the hufem who was superior. He'd flush her out of her hiding place stun her and then perhaps he'd torture her for a while before using her body for his pleasure. Imagining the hufem's screams as he used his electro-whip on her defenceless body, he smiled as he pushed himself between two closely spaced trees. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts about what he was going to do to the hufem when he caught her, he never noticed the shadow in the trees above him until it was far too late.

0=0=0=0

Dropping from a branch onto the demon's back, Buffy landed on the monster's shoulders. The sudden addition of even Buffy's meagre weight made the creature stumble and fall. Hanging on for grim life with her arm around the demon's neck, Buffy smiled as she heard the air being forced out of the creature's lungs by the fall. Winded, the demon would be helpless until he recovered, something that she wasn't about to let happen. Shifting her position so she was kneeling on the monster's shoulders, reaching around the demon's head Buffy took the monster's chin in one hand and the back of his head with the other. With a savage twist she broke the demon's neck, the sound of its spine breaking echoing around the copse.

“Next time you can be the diversion,” Crystal panted as she came out of her hiding place.

“You reckon you could, totally take one of these things down do you?” Buffy laughed as she climbed off the monster's back.

“Whatever,” Crystal sighed, she knew she'd never be able to take on one of the 'demons', as Buffy and herself called the aliens, in hand-to-hand combat.

Walking over to where Buffy stood over her latest victim, Crystal stooped to pick up the alien's gun. Pointing it up in the air she pulled the trigger, like every other time she'd tried to use one of the alien's weapons it didn't work. Her suspicion that the aliens used some sort of biometric locking device on their guns was once again confirmed, but she'd keep trying...one day she might get lucky. Turning she tossed the gun into a pool of stagnant water.

“'e got anyfin' else?” Crystal asked as she watched Buffy search the body, she frowned at the ease with which her friend turned the alien onto it's back.

“Just one of those whip things and a knife that won't come out of its sheath,” Buffy replied as she threw the whip to join the gun in the water.

“Flippin' 'eck, Buff, do ya fink our luck will ever change?”

“Hey we're doin' pretty good without using their weapons,” Buffy replied.

“Speak for y'self,” Crystal muttered darkly as she examined the marks left by the vegetation on her body.

It was true, despite Crystal's misgivings, in the month or more since Buffy had returned from the medical centre after being caught and raped in the mall, the two young women had started their campaign of death against the demons in earnest. Although they killed about one and a half aliens per hunt they were no closer to finding a way out of the hunting areas than they had been when they'd first met.

Watching as Buffy dragged the dead alien towards the pool to join its gear in a watery grave, Crystal frowned once more. Buffy was only about five-foot-two, she was slim, petite even, but she could knock down and kill an eight-foot-tall alien without breaking into a sweat or even breaking a finger nail. The time had come for her to demand some answers.

“Okay, Buff,” Crystal began as she watched Buffy push the alien into the water with a loud splash, “tell me how ya do that...”

“Do what?” Buffy asked as she turned to face her friend.

“Y'know perfectly well wot,” Crystal replied.

“I work out?” Buffy tried to put her friend off by pretending that the things she could do were quite normal.

“You're a robot ain't ya?”

“What?”

“You're one of them Terminator fings, ain't ya, admit it!”

“I am so am not!” Buffy protested, “I'm way too pretty an' I don't have an Austrian accent!”

“Then wot are ya?” Crystal demanded, “Coz ya not a real girl are ya?”

“Of course I'm a real girl...” Buffy claimed.

“Okay, normal girl...”

“I am,” Buffy replied sounding like a guilty five year old.

“Normal girls carnt break the neck's of aliens with just the shrug of 'er shoulders.”

“Oh,” Buffy sighed defeated, perhaps the time had come to come clean about what and who she was.

“Yeah, 'Oh',” Crystal crossed her arms under her breasts and waited for Buffy to explain.

“Okay, I'll tell you everything but can I do it as we walk?” Buffy said quietly, “I think we better get away from here just in case one of our friend's friends comes looking for him.”

“Okay,” Crystal let Buffy lead the way, “so wot's ya story?”

“Story?” Buffy laughed bitterly, she knew that one day she'd end up sounding like Giles, “Have I got a story for you...long ago and contrary to popular belief the world didn't start as a paradise...”

0=0=0=0

**R-Ojam and R-Ekir.**

“Ah!” R-Ojam boomed as the smaller Th-rim walked into his office; which was situated on the very top floor of the head office building in the capital, Se-veej. “Glad you could make it!”

“Of course Sir,” R-Ekir replied; he'd not exactly had very much choice in the matter, when a senior executive called, you came, “how can I help you?”

“Sit down, R-Ekir,” R-Ojam gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk, a desk that was made out of very expensive Te-cis wood if R-Ekir wasn't mistaken, “it seems we have what might be a problem on one of our hunting reserves.”

“A problem?” R-Ekir swallowed the lump of fear that had suddenly appeared in his throat, he had a horrible suspicion about what R-Ojam was going to ask him to do, “W-what sort of problem?”

“Hunters keep getting themselves killed,” R-Ojam explained.

“As in dead?” R-Ekir squeaked, he coughed to clear his voice again before repeating, “Dead?”

“As a Wo-dwod,” R-Ojam confirmed.

“Oh dear,” it wasn't for the dead Th-rim that R-Ekir was saying 'Oh dear', it was for himself, he hated going outside of the safety of the cities, he wasn't the sort of 'action-adventure' Th-rim that everyone thought he was, “I expect you'll want me to investigate?”

“Of course,” R-Ojam beamed, “you did such a good job covering up that accident on the same reserve and the work you did collecting all those hufems was outstanding...I hope you liked your bonus?”

“Very generous, Sir,” R-Ekir replied; his bonus had in fact been extremely generous, he'd been able to buy a new apartment and another hufem to help keep him company.

“Then get to the bottom of this and I'm sure you'll find another little gift deposited in your account,” R-Ojam explained with a wide smile.

“Yes, Sir,” R-Ekir sighed, he was trapped, if he kept on doing such a good job at any task he was given he'd only be given more, the trouble was he couldn't see a way of making it all stop. “So what is the problem, apart from hunters dying, of course?”

“For the last month or so,” R-Ojam leaned across his desk towards R-Ekir, “on almost every hunt at least one hunter dies or disappears in suspicious circumstances.”

“And you think they're being murdered?”

“Quite frankly I think _some_ of them are being murdered, probably by agents of one of our rivals...we made no friends stealing all those hufems on our last round-up...” R-Ojam chuckled, “...of course it'll be worth it once the profits from the sale of the hufems and the clones start to roll off the production lines. But, that's for the future, in the mean time our customers are being killed and I want you to find out who's or what is doing it.”

“Of course Sir,” R-Ekir nodded as he imagined himself being killed by a hired assassin somewhere out in the wilderness. 

“As I say, I think its one of our competitors, I mean who else could it be? One of the hufems?” R-Ojam laughed loudly, “Now that would be one for the stories...”

0=0=0=0

**Buffy and Crystal.**

“An Angel?” Crystal asked as she walked along beside Buffy; she'd told her this fantastic story about being this slayer person, fighting demons and vampires and finally having an Angel as a boyfriend who's turned evil after she'd shagged him.

It was an article of faith with Crystal that all Americans were weird; hadn't she read that something like seventy-percent of all Americans believed that Angels walked amongst them? Now her best friend in the world, possibly the universe was telling her that she'd screwed an Angel so badly that he'd turned evil!

Crystal's mother had been a new-age-wiccan-hippy, but even she drew the line at demons and vampires. For herself Crystal had never bought into the god-myth, when she was about five she'd opened her eyes to look for this god person during morning prayers at school. Of course there'd been no one and nothing there so she'd just taken all the bible stuff they'd tried to teach her as simply old stories. It wasn't until she was much older that she'd seriously thought about gods and religion and consciously rejected them both.

“No his _name_ was Angel,” Buffy explained.

“Oh yeah, ya said he was a _good vampire_...” Crystal couldn't help giggling, “...like a 'My Little Vampire' doll?”

“I don't think you're taking this seriously,” Buffy gave her friend a dark look.

“Oh come on Buff,” Crystal replied, “Y'gotta admit its a pretty tall tail to swallow...slayers...vampires...monsters...magic, I mean ya soundin' like my mum on a bad trip. It'd be easier to accept what ya can do if ya were a product of some secret government project to build the ultimate super-soldier...or a robot.”

“So you don't believe me?”

“Now I didn't exactly say that,” Crystal pointed out when she saw the sad look on Buffy's face, “you're me friend and I've seen wot ya can do so...”

“So?”

“So,” Crystal smiled and gave Buffy a warm hug, “until I can come up with a better explanation, which ain't gonna 'appen any time soon, I'm gonna 'ave to believe ya.”

“Naked hugging,” Buffy warned as she felt her nipples start to go hard against Crystal's skin.

“Oh! Sorry!” Crystal jumped away from her friend as if she'd turned red hot, “Still not into all the girl-on-girl stuff then?”

“Like,” Buffy sighed heavily, “I'm beginning to think it might be the only option...” she saw the look of hope in Crystal's eyes, “...but not just yet, later maybe...”

“I live in hope,” Crystal sighed, “so 'til ya admit that ya passionately in love wiv me I suppose we better get on and find the End Zone...up to killin' another alien today?”

“Yeah,” Buffy shrugged, “why not?”

0=0=0=0

**Faith and James.**

Unlike Dawn, Faith had managed to avoid the continuation of her full time education. With most of the schools in Sunnydale either smouldering ruins or closed, Dawn was now being tutored by her mother and Giles, poor Dawnie, Faith smiled. On the other hand she only had to read the books that Rupert gave her and then talk about them with him afterwards; she didn't realise it but Giles was treating her like she was already at college. Most of the stuff that Giles gave her to read was surprisingly interesting. It was all about old wars and murder and tactics and stuff. The sort of 'stuff' that a slayer might find useful one day.

Like today, Faith was sitting out on the porch with baby James. When it became clear that both the child's parents were dead, Giles and Joyce had decided to adopt him. This was all very unofficial but as neither Xander's or Cordy's parents seemed interested in the boy there didn't appear to be much of a choice, at least no _good_ choices. At the moment James, or Jimmy as Faith called him, was playing in an old play pen by Faith's feet, she was careful to keep her shotgun well out of the boy's reach; he was at that age where he was attracted to dangerous things.

Looking up from her book, Faith let her eyes roam up and down Revelo Drive, seeing nothing out of place she went back to reading. The problem she'd been given was to work out why this Spartan guy, King Leonidas had done what he'd done and got himself and all his troops killed. They'd stopped the Persian guys cold and held out until they were in danger of being surrounded. He could have retreated with the rest of the army but he'd stayed behind and even attacked the Persians. The Spartans had very nearly killed the Persian king, but Leonidas had been killed within feet of the Persian guy. Anyway, Leonidas was killed along with all his guys, Faith couldn't work it out. Giles had said there'd been a very good reason for what Leonidas had done, all she had to do was work out what it was.

0=0=0=0

**Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and Harry Green.**

“So that's the slayer, Lehane?” Wyndam-Pryce said quietly; the two men were sitting in the front seats of a nondescript van slightly down the road from 1630 Revelo Drive.

“Looks like,” replied the former Royal Marine Staff Sergeant; to be honest Harry couldn't see the point in what they'd been sent to do, but orders were orders, working for the Council was worse than being in the Navy!

“Who's the child belong to?” Wyndam-Pryce wanted to know, he turned to look at Harry, “You don't suppose its hers do you? If it is that'll make things more complicated...”

“No...” Harry checked his note book, “...the kid's James Harris, orphan, Mr Giles and Mrs Summers have sort of adopted him.”

“I must say that's very public spirited of them, so why is Lehane watching him?”

“Babysitting maybe,” Harry fought to keep the sarcasm out of his voice; Wyndam-Pryce was worse than any 'Rupert' he'd had the misfortune to serve with in the marines.

“Babysitting?” Wyndam-Pryce sniffed, “Hardly a job for the slayer, I wonder why she's doing it?”

“I've found,” Harry explained as if talking to a moron, “that girls tend to like babies and small children, they think they're, 'cute'; its an instinct thing.”

“You think?”

“Yes.”

“Oh well, its not our problem,” Wyndam-Pryce smiled, “we'll wait until its dark, follow her when she goes on patrol then I'll approach her.”

“Rather you than me,” Harry muttered; the idea of confronting a slayer in the dark did not appeal, he smiled, but on the plus side perhaps she'd rip Wyndam-Pryce's head off!?

0=0=0=0


	21. Chapter 21

21.

**Willow.**

Sitting on the end of her bed, Willow dabbed at her eyes with a screwed up tissue and hoped she'd never have to do what she'd just done again. The responsibilities of being a platoon leader's wife was proving just a little too much for her at the moment, she'd never done well with responsibility. About a week ago the base commander had moved all the dependants into the main part of the camp so they could more easily be protected by the remaining Marines on the base. How all the wives and children of her husband's platoon lived on one floor of an empty barrack block.

San Francisco had gone up in flames, it had started with riots even before SATs Day, which had quickly turned into armed insurrection as the days had passed. Her husband, Bob, along with the rest of his battalion, had been deployed to the area around San Francisco two days after SATs Day. The last real news Willow had received from her husband was that he was fighting a well armed band of militia near Sunnyvale. This had been where Sergeant Clark had been shot and killed. The news had taken days to reach San Diego and it had fallen to Willow and Isabella Garcia to inform Alivia Clark that her husband was dead.

The fact that one of Bob's guys had been killed in action made Willow realise that her husband could be killed too, she'd not really believed that something like that could happen. Yes, she'd certainly thought about the possibility that Bob could be wounded but not killed, not her Bob. Taking a deep breath, Willow dried her eyes, she was the leader of the wives now and she had to set an example.

“Why me?” Willow said miserably as she stood up to check on Sophia who was asleep in her little bed over by the window.

Realising that it had somehow grown dark, Willow was just about to close the curtains, but stopped to take a look outside. It was growing foggy again; this was something she'd had to get used to; nearly every night it got foggy in San Diego something she'd never experienced in Sunnydale...thankfully. The idea of vampires and demons hiding in the fog sent shivers down her spine even now. Shrugging at the idea, she closed the drapes and was just about to collect her things to go and have shower when there was a quiet knock on her door.

“Come in,” Willow called softly as she wondered what new catastrophe she was going to have to deal with now.

“Hi, Ma'am,” it was Isabella Garcia her husband's platoon sergeant's wife.

“Pleeeez, Isabella call me Willow,” Willow said for about the one-thousandth time, “at least while we're alone like this.”

“Okay, ma...Willow,” Isabella smiled, “how're you doin'?”

“Better than I thought I would be, I mean I haven't fallen to pieces like I thought I might,” Willow gestured for Isabella to sit in the only chair in the room, while she sat down on the end of her bed again, “nothing in my life has prepared me for the possibility of telling someone their husband is dead.”

“Is there some way to prepare?” Isabella asked as she sat down.

“No...” Willow shook her head sadly, “...I don't suppose there is...” Willow looked into the face of the older woman and saw the pain behind her eyes, “...how are you dealing.”

“I'll live,” Isabella forced a smile, “I've had to do this before, but its never easy.”

“So, what happens now, to Alivia I mean?” Willow wanted to know.

“She'll stay here with us for the time being, unless she's got family to go to,” Isabella explained.

“Thank god for that,” Willow sighed a sigh of relief, “I was worried that she might be told to leave.”

“No,” Isabella shook her head, “the Marines look after their own.”

“I'm beginning to see that,” Willow agreed, “you know military life is nothing like I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“I don't know,” Willow shrugged, “but I'd not expected this, I mean how...” suddenly Willow was lost for words.

“I know what you mean,” Isabella said, “I'm a Marine Brat, my dad was a Gunny, so I'm sorta used to it.”

“You know, I'd never be able to manage without your help,” Willow admitted, “thanks.”

“You're welcome,” Isabella smiled, “just you wait until your Bob is a Colonel and you have to organise the wives and kids for an entire regiment!”

“Please tell me you'll be there to...hey what's that?” Willow asked as the sound of a siren wailing in the distance came to her ears through the foggy night.

“I'm not sure,” Isabella frowned as she stood up and moved towards the window, “it sounds like the alert warning.”

0=0=0=0

**N-Atas.**

Smiling, N-Atas watched the main view-screen as the shuttle dropped silently towards the designated human city. What he and his fellow Th-rim were about to do was extremely illegal. It would also be extremely profitable. The money he would make far outweighed the risk of being caught and fined. Ever since the market for human males had basically collapsed, the market for human females had mushroomed. A seller could charge almost anything he wanted for a prime hufem, N-Atas expected that the profits from this one raid would set him up for life.

All he and the mercenaries he'd employed needed to do was to land, overcome any resistance the human military might put up and then round up one-hundred-and-fifty to two-hundred hufems, load them on to the shuttle and then head back to orbit where his starship waited. Once he'd loaded this cargo he planned to raid several other locations around the planet before the humans realised what was going on. Once he'd filled his cargo bay (he'd need about a thousand hufems) he'd head for home, sell his cargo and pay off his mercenaries and crew. Then he'd be able to retire, no doubt with the pick of the hufems to keep him entertained.

Watching from his place between the pilot and co-pilot, N-Atas noted the fog that lay over the human city. It would be no hindrance to his operation, but it would cause the humans problems, not that he expected many. The pathetically primitive detection systems the humans employed were incapable of spotting his vessel. Certainly the shuttle was an old model, but it was more than advanced enough to slip by any merely human security net. Once again the humans were being helpful by concentrating a large group of hufems in one location. The market suggested that the younger hufems would bring the best prices, but he'd told his raiders to take whatever hufems they could find. The medical officer would sort through the cargo and jettison any unwanted hufems while they were in orbit.

“Landing in two M'tu,” the pilot announced.

“Good,” N-Atas smiled with anticipation as he unbuckled his safety harness and got out of his seat, “land at the designated point, I'm going to lead the troops.”

“Right you are, Sir,” agreed the pilot.

“This shouldn't take more than thirty or forty M'tu, so be ready to take off as soon as the cargo is loaded and the troops are aboard.”

“Understood, Sir,” the pilot replied.

Moving through the ship into the cargo hold where his troops waited, N-Atas couldn't help but smile at the thought of all the money he would make from this one poaching trip. With visions of the piles of cash he would make going through his mind he found himself in the cargo hold. Looking around he saw the mercenary captain waiting with his troops, N-Atas signalled for the Th-rim to join him

“Are your soldiers ready?” N-Atas wanted to know.

“Ready and eager for the mission to begin, Sir,” each of the mercenaries was to be paid off with their very own hufem which they could sell or keep as they wished; the officer and his NCOs would also get a cash payment in line with their rank.

“Good,” N-Atas nodded, “but remember there must be no technology left behind and definitely no Th-rim are to be left behind living or dead. We can't afford to leave behind any evidence that the authorities can use to trace us, understand?”

“Understood,” the officer replied with a nod, “all the troopers are wearing demolition charges that I or my senior NCOs can detonate remotely. The charges are powerful enough to destroy any evidence or bodies that might get left behind.”

“Good,” N-Atas' smile got wider still as he felt the shuttle land, “time to start I think!”

With a lurch the shuttle came to a halt, almost immediately the cargo bay door opened and the mercenaries began to deploy around the ship. A small force would be left behind to guard the shuttle and help the medical staff process the cargo when it began to arrive. The rest of the mercenaries would fan out across the human city and start collecting the cargo.

0=0=0=0

**Willow.**

“What the hell's going on?” Willow demanded not really expecting an answer.

A couple of minutes ago something huge and black had flown over the block where she and the other wives were living. Moments later the lights had all gone out, now she could hear firing.

“I don't know,” Isabella replied, “but maybe we should get everyone down into the basement?”

“Good idea,” Willow nodded, “tell everyone to grab their kids and some bedding and head on downstairs,” Willow paused for a moment before adding, “and tell anyone with a gun to grab that too, okay?”

“Got it,” Isabella replied quietly before heading off to organise the other wives leaving Willow alone for a minute or two.

Turning, Willow walked back into her room to find Sophia had already woken up, the little girl smiled when she saw her mother, she didn't appear to be frightened by whatever was going on. Grabbing her 'go-bag', something Isabella had suggested she put together, Willow was just about to pick up her daughter when she remembered something. Going over to her locker, she opened the small section that had been designed for personal items and retrieved the .38 revolver that Isabella had lent her. Tucking the weapon into the waistband of her jeans behind her back, she then emptied some of the spare rounds from their box and put them in her jean's pocket. Going over to Sophia she picked her up and carried her to the door.

Out in the corridor, Isabella had got everyone organised, the passageway was lit by candles and flashlights and Willow kicked herself for not thinking of that, but then wasn't that what platoon sergeants were for? To think of all the little things the platoon leader was too busy to think about. Smiling to herself, Willow walked over to where Isabella stood at the head of the wives and children.

“Okay,” Willow said in a voice that sounded amazingly calm, “move out.”

With Sophia in he arms Willow led the way down into the basement.

0=0=0=0

**N-Atas.**

Ducking down, N-Atas watched as the human projectiles passed over his head, the raid wasn't going quite as well as he'd planned. He'd been shocked at the speed with which the humans had reacted to his force's presence. He'd also been shocked to discover that the projectiles that the humans used went right through the body armour worn by his mercenaries, while the human body armour seemed resistant to Th-rim energy weapons. He looked at the energy pistol in his hand as he remembered the old adage; your weapon is made by the lowest bidder! To make matters worse the fog was further degrading the effect of their weapons while the human's projectiles weren't affected at all; the humans also appeared to have technology that allowed them to see through the fog.

Moving forward behind a screen of mercenaries N-Atas saw several Th-rim go down hit by human weapon's fire. The mercenaries returned fire, but they had to aim for the human soldiers faces, arms or legs, plus the humans were smaller targets than Th-rims, which made them even harder to hit, while the Th-rim provided the humans with large target. Even at these thoughts were going through his mind, N-Atas was brought to a sudden, shocked halt as a noise like he'd never heard before ripped though the fog shrouded night. Staring in horror he saw a dozen of his mercenaries literally being blown to pieces by some new, terrible, human weapon.

This last disaster proved too much for the surviving mercenaries who turned and fled back towards the shuttle, you couldn't get paid if you were dead. Not knowing what to do for a moment, N-Atas stood in indecision before another burst of fire from that terrible human gun ripped up the concrete he was standing on and showered him with large pieces of the rock-like material. Shocked into action, N-Atas sprinted for what he thought might be safety. The sound of what appeared to be a vicious human counter attack added wings to his feet.

Panting and shaking with fear, N-Atas found himself with a large, darkened building between him and the human terror weapon. In the distance he could hear what he guessed were human war machines, and the battle-calls of human soldiers as they swept through the area. Through the fog he could make out the bright flashes of explosions from over by where the shuttle had landed. Only then did he realise just what a catastrophe the raid had been. He and his Th-rim had landed assuming that the humans would be easily defeated and that they'd be able to take whatever they wanted. How wrong he'd been, the humans were skilful fighters armed with weapons superior to anything the Th-rim had, no wonder the Round-up Fleet never landed to confront the humans face-to-face.

A terrifyingly loud noise from out of the night sky, jolted N-Atas out of his dark thoughts of death and defeat. Looking up he saw a human flying machine hovering not fifty metres away, he saw a human crouched behind some new death dealing weapon. He realised that the human had seen him as the end of the weapon was lit up by a long, bright flash of fire that seemed to go on forever, a sound like ripping cloth came to his ears as a line of destruction headed straight towards him. Throwing himself to one side he saw the human projectiles totally destroy the spot where he'd just been standing.

Firing off some ineffectual energy bolts that impacted the side of the flying machine and which did little more damage than scorching its paintwork, N-Atas ran for his life. He had to find somewhere to hide, he still had his communicator, if he could avoid capture or death he might yet be able to escape and return home alive. Seeing some steps leading up into another blacked out building, he ran for the supposed safety of the block-like structure. Bounding up the stairs he crashed through the door hitting his head on the door frame as he did so; he'd forgotten that humans being shorter than Th-rim and made their doors lower than his own race. Staggering from the effect of the blow to his head, N-Atas looked around for somewhere to hide. Off to his right he saw another set of stairs this time heading down into what must be a basement. Stumbling over to the stairs, N-Atas started downward, it was dark but there did seem to be some soft light spilling from around a corner of the corridor in front of him. Sighing with relief, N-Atas moved towards the light.

0=0=0=0

**Willow.**

The basement room was dark and crowded, not only were there the wives and children from Willow's own platoon, but there were also some of the wives and children from several other platoons from different companies. Somehow, Willow had found herself 'in charge', but with the help of Isabella and the wives of a couple of senior NCOs she'd got things organised...well...she hadn't, she'd just said that maybe they should get organised and the senior women had taken it from there, you had to love the Marine Corps, she told herself. 

Standing near the door to the room, Willow and Isabella exchanged worried looks when they heard someone or something moving around just outside their sanctuary. They'd no idea what was happening other than they might be being attacked by one of the local militias. It was Isabella's opinion that if it was militia they must have a strong death wish because no one in their right mind attacked a Marine base. There had been two young Marines, little more than half trained recruits, sent to guard them, but the two boys had left when the firing had got close to see what was happening, they'd not come back. Now there was only Willow, Isabella and a couple of other women who'd picked up weapons, left to guard the other women and children.

With her heart beating like a big, bass drum in her chest, Willow heard the sound of heavy footsteps in the corridor outside. Cursing herself for not telling anyone to barricade the door, she looked on in horror as the door slowly swung open to reveal a huge demon-like creature. The monster had to be almost eight-feet-tall as its head nearly brushed the ceiling, it looked almost as surprised as Willow felt on finding the room already occupied.

“GET BACK!” Willow yelled, whether she was shouting a warning to her friends and neighbours or at the monster, she didn't know.

Lifting her revolver and pointing it at the creature's chest, Willow pulled back the hammer with her thumb.

“Stay back!” Willow warned the creature, “I'll shoot...”

Either the monster didn't understand or didn't care, but it only took one step into the room before Willow fired. Closing her eyes and screaming loudly, she kept pulling the trigger until the hammer fell on an empty chamber and she opened her eyes again. Through the faint haze of gunsmoke hanging in the air, Willow saw the demon lying on the floor in pool of its own blood.

“Well, that totally told him,” Isabella said in little more than a whisper.

“I did warn it,” Willow replied defensively.

“Yep,” Isabella nodded, “you sure did and I he...it...ignored you...” she looked at Willow, “...where'd you learn to shoot like that?”

“I didn't,” Willow began to shake from adrenaline shock, “but its like I always say, don't mess with the USMC!”

“You always say that?” Isabella asked.

“Its a sorta work in progress,” Willow admitted with a shrug.

0=0=0=0

**Special Agent Jones, Homeworld Security.**

The clean up of the failed alien raid was being carried out by the Marines and people from Homeworld Security; Special Agent Jones couldn't help but smile. They'd captured a wealth of alien artefacts which included an almost intact alien space ship. But best of all they now had a dead alien to study. It appeared that all the aliens had had explosive charges that went off when they died effectively destroying them and their equipment. But for some reason this one alien hadn't been wearing one. Then it'd made the mistake of stumbling into a basement full of Marine wives and children. One of the wives had shot it stone, cold, dead. While it would have been nice to have a live alien to study a dead one was almost as good. Jones hoped that the woman would get something for what she'd done.

Yes, she'd been reacting to a threat and had no doubt saved everyone in the room with her, but she might have unwittingly saved the entire human race. The people 'upstairs' had decided that as humanity couldn't hope to match the 'Other's' tech anytime in the near future, perhaps an attack on the Others' biology might be more profitable. Now they had samples of Others biology perhaps Earth's scientists could design a virus to infect and possibly destroy the aliens. Yes, Jones nodded to himself, Mrs Willow Jackson deserved the praise and thanks of the entire planet.

0=0=0=0


	22. Chapter 22

22.

**Dawn and Faith.**

“Faith?” Dawn began as she walked along side the older girl; it had become usual for Dawn to accompany Faith on her evening patrols, after all with no vampires to slay, Dawn could shoot people just as well as Faith could.

“Yo,” Faith replied as she glanced at her 'side-kick', “an' if ya askin' if we can stop by Kevin's house,” Faith's hand disappeared inside her jacket pocket only to reappear seconds late clutching half-a-dozen condoms, she passed them to Dawn, “the answer's yep, here ya go!”

“Thanks!” Dawn grinned as she took the condoms and stuffed them into her own pockets.

It was three months since SATs Day and Dawn and Faith's little visits to Kevin's house had become something of a regular thing. Faith was pretty sure that Kevin's mom, Jane, knew exactly what the two young teens were doing up in her son's bedroom. But, she never let on when she was talking to Faith; Jane always had a kind word for Faith and sodas or milk and cookies, Faith liked her, a lot.

“Yeah, thanks,” Dawn blushed a little, “but that's not what I was going to ask you...”

“So, what's on ya mind, kid?” Faith checked out the other side of the street before they crossed; the latest 'horror' to afflict Sunnydale were 'Rape Gangs', normally two teenage girls walking by themselves just after dusk would be prime targets...but Faith wasn't 'normal' and Dawn was a pretty good shot too.

“Like,” Dawn took a deep breath, “what are you going to do about getting pregnant? I mean its totally only nine months 'til its SATs Day again...” Dawn's voice lowered a little so Faith almost had to strain to hear her, “...I mean I've totally lost one sister already, I don't wanna like lose you too.”

“I though I'd wait a couple of months before...” Faith found she was actually feeling a little embarrassed talking about getting pregnant with Dawn, “...before, y'know...?”

“You want to wait so you look totally pregnant on SATs Day, right?” Dawn asked, “I get that, but who...y'know...who you gonna get to like, totally, y'know...knock you up?”

“Ah...?” Faith didn't know what to say; Dawn had a point who was she going to screw or was she going to have to go down to the family planning clinic and use the stuff from an anonymous donor? 

The last SATs Day had come as a shock to a lot of people, the Others had taken all the girls that weren't obviously pregnant, they'd not touched the guys. Although this had only happened in the US, Central and South America it was obvious that something had changed. The Others wanted more girls and they didn't seem too fussy about who they took, luckily they still didn't want pregnant girls.

“You've not got a boyfriend, have you?” Dawn asked.

“Nah,” Faith shook her head: guys her own or near her own age didn't impress her, she preferred older guys in their twenties, but she didn't know any, at least none she wanted to be the father of her child.

“Then you'll have to go to the clinic...” Dawn continued sadly.

“Looks like,” Faith admitted; what was wrong with her?

Here she was, 'hot', sex on legs, Faith Lehane and she was planing on making a date with a nurse and a syringe to get herself knocked up, surely she could do better than that?

“There's always Rupert,” Faith smirked as she yanked Dawn's chain a little.

“EEEWWWW!” Dawn squealed; Giles was Dawn's father figure and _waaay_ too old for Faith, it was bad enough knowing that he was having sex with her mother, the idea of Faith and Giles doing it was just too much for her young mind to deal with.

“Just kiddin' ya Dawnie,” Faith laughed.

“Yeah, right...totally don't kid me about that again...” Dawn became very serious very quickly, “...I'm serious y'know? Like, don't leave it 'til too late. Like I say I've lost one sister to these alien scum, I don't wanna lose another...”

“You think that I'm like ya sister?” Faith stopped and turned to face Dawn.

“Like, totally,” Dawn replied, “I know you're not Buffy, but you feel like my sister...a totally not-Buffy sister, like you're totally cooler than Buffy ever was, I mean she'd never get me condoms so I can screw my boyfriend...and like, I'd be totally pissed if something bad happened to you”

“Glad I could help,” Faith replied, “an' not just with the rubbers...” she took a deep breath, “...an' if I had a little sister I'd want her to be like you, okay?”

“Cool,” Dawn nodded, “so, you'll get knocked up in two or three months time, right?”

“Totally,” Faith agreed as an evil grin spread across her face, “I'll get to work on Rupert as soon as we get home!”

“EEWWWW!” Dawn cried as she tried to punch Faith and the older girl dodged away from her wild blows.

Laughing and play fighting the two girls ran down an alley between two apartment blocks. They were soon brought up short, however, by the appearance of a man in a good suit who stepped out into the alley in front of them.

“Miss Lehane?” the man said in an English accent; the two girls stumbled to a halt and turned to confront the man.

“Who wants ta know?” Faith asked menacingly as she reached for the automatic pistol hidden under her jacket.

“You don't know me,” replied the man, “my name is Wesley Wyndam-Price and I represent the Council of Watchers in this god-forsaken country.”

“Weasely...?” Dawn sniggered into her hand.

“Ah, the younger Miss Summers,” Wesley said haughtily.

“Watchers?” Faith asked, “Rupert Giles is my Watcher, an' I thought all you guys had given up an' gone home.”

“The Council is forever,” Wesley replied mysteriously, “at least some of us are still trying to save the world, and with that end in mind you must come with me...”

“Why?” Dawn demanded belligerently as she stepped towards the Englishman, “what if she doesn't want to go, what are you going to do to her?”

“Hey, cool it kid,” Faith said quietly before turning to face Wesley again, “Yeah, like what she said...”

“I'm sorry,” it was obvious that Wesley wasn't sorry at all, “but you've got no choice...” Wesley pulled a dart gun from under his jacket and pointed it at Faith's midriff, “...no choice at all you have your duty Miss La...!”

Wesley never got to finish what he'd been about to say because he was interrupted by a loud bang and the appearance of a large red hole in the middle of his forehead. As Wesley fell to the ground, a look of surprise frozen on his face for all eternity, Faith turned to see Dawn standing with her still smoking revolver in her hand.

“I told you I'd get pissed if anything happened to you,” Dawn reminded Faith, “I couldn't lose you too...”

“Jeez, kid...” for once in her life, Faith was lost for words, stunned even; then practicality reared its ugly head, “...what do we do with the body?”

“Nothing?” Dawn replied as she put her .38 back into its holster on her hip, “If anyone asks we just say he was going to rape us and I shot him...” Dawn grinned, “Maybe we'll get a reward there's a bounty on rapists!”

“You scare me sometimes, Dawnie,” Faith looked from Dawn to the body and back again.

“But, don't you see I had to?” tears were starting to form in Dawn's eyes, “I couldn't just let him take you away, I love you Faith an' I wanna keep you here with me, we're family, right?”

“Right,” Faith said quietly as she stepped forward and engulfed Dawn in a big-sister-hug; it seemed to her that 'family' could be a dangerous thing if you crossed them.

“Don't worry about the body,” said another English voice.

The sisters turned to confront the newcomer. The man they saw was of about average height and appearance. Moving with practiced ease he stepped over to the body and looked down at it, the butt of his M4 rifle resting on his hip with the muzzle pointing straight up into the air.

“Nice shot,” he added as he looked over at Dawn, “I'd have slotted the dickhead, myself...complete tosser...he's no great loss to anyone.”

“Who...?” Faith started to ask who the man was but his rifle barrel moved slightly towards her as he retreated a couple of steps.

“No one you need worry about,” he told Faith, “now why don't you two go home or wherever you was going an' leave the clean-up to me?”

“Yeah right,” Faith stopped and turned back to Dawn, “time we were moving.”

“Mind if we go home?” Dawn sniffed.

“Sure, no problemo,” Faith reassured her.

Watching the two girls leave, Harry looked back down at Wesley's body; no one would miss him. Harry would just tell the Council that he'd gone out by himself and got himself robbed and killed by a street gang. Or, maybe he'd just write those tossers at the Council a letter, or maybe he wouldn't tell them anything. After all, a man with his skill-set could get a better paying job almost anywhere these days and if that failed he could always rejoin the marines.

0=0=0=0

**R-Ekir.**

Having left his air-car at the edge of the swamp, R-Ekir stumbled through the undergrowth and wished he was still tucked up in bed with Alison and Grace, his two hufem pets. But he wasn't he was out here in the company's swamp hunting environment. He'd hardly been here ten M'tu and his clothes were already soaked with sweat, swamp water and stained with mud. Tripping on an exposed root, R-Ekir almost fell into a muddy pool of water, but managed to save himself at the last minute by grabbing hold of a low hanging creeper. The creeper moved and hissed at him as it turned into snake.

“AAAAGH!” R-Ekir screamed like a hatchling as he let go of the creeper turned snake as if it had become red hot; falling he landed with a loud wet sounding 'splat!' in the pool he'd attempted to avoid.

Sitting up to his waist in dirty, smelly water, R-Ekir sobbed quietly to himself as he thought about the injustices life had heaped upon him. If he was more of a Th-rim he'd resign and get a job were his bosses didn't send him to hot, smelly, dirty, wretched, vile swamps! But he wasn't brave enough to resign and go back to working in a safe office, plus because of the bonus' he received for his work he was able to live the kind of life he did. He'd never be able to afford _two_ hufem pets on a company-Th-rim's wages. He doubted he'd be able to pay for one. If he went back to his old job he'd have to make do with occasional visits to one of the new 'Pleasure Houses' that had been popping up around Se-veej since the last 'round-up'.

Realising that sitting in a fetid pool of swamp water feeling sorry for himself wasn't going to get him back to the loving arms of Alison and Grace any time soon. In fact the only thing it would get him was attacked by one of the parasites that lived in swamp water in these parts. Heaving himself from the water, R-Ekir stood on the bank of the pool and checked that he hadn't lost any of the gear he'd brought with him. Finding that everything was where it was supposed to be and undamaged, he trudged onwards all the time muttering under his breath about how unfair life was to him. Almost without noticing, R-Ekir came out into a clear area, looking up and around he saw a very tall Th-rim standing not twenty yards away.

“Oh no,” R-Ekir groaned to himself, “S-Drib!”

S-Drib was the company Hunt Master in charge of all the company's hunting environments. He was tall, healthy and tough looking, in fact he was everything R-Ekir wasn't.

“HAH!” laughed S-Drib as he turned to watch the bedraggled R-Ekir emerge from the trees, “If it's not my old friend R-Ekir!” The tall Th-rim strode over to R-Ekir and pounded him on his back in greeting, “Well met fellow I was wondering who head office was going to send, I'm glad its you.”

“You are?” R-Ekir said weakly as he recovered somewhat from S-Drib's back pounding.

“But of course,” S-Drib boomed good naturedly, “after that other little business...”

“Indeed,” R-Ekir agreed, “but now it seems we have something similar?” he asked thinking that the sooner he got this done-and-dusted the sooner he could get back to the welcome embrace of his pets, “you don't think the deaths could be connected do you?”

“NO!” S-Drib roared as he led R-Ekir towards a small copse, “That fool O-Ginr got drunk, tripped and broke his damned fool neck I expect this will be something similar...”

Following S-Drib as he plunged into the vegetation, R-Ekir did start to wonder. So far there had been twenty-three suspicious deaths in the company's hunting environments over the last three months. They couldn't _all_ be accidents and what about R-Ojam's belief that it was one of the company's rivals that were trying to cause trouble? Following the Hunt Master, R-Ekir found himself standing over another pool of fetid water, only this pool had a dead Th-rim floating in it.

“Eww,” R-Ekir said as he held his nose and moved so he was up wind of the corpse.

“Indeed,” agreed S-Drib as he moved to join R-Ekir.

“So what did the scans tell you?” R-Ekir asked as he removed a recording device from a pouch on his equipment belt.

“Well,” S-Drib took a deep breath, “as you surmise I did an in-depth scan of the area as soon as the body was discovered. It seems clear to me that S-Elig...”

“S-Elig?”

“The hunter,” S-Drib gestured to the body floating in the water.

“Oh...” R-Ekir turned his recorder on the body for a moment.

“Yes, where was I?” S-Drib paused to collect his thoughts, “Ah, yes, S-Elig had been chasing a female prey animal. I found tracks and the marks left where slugs exploded against the trees. The crafty little Z-nim must have led him into the trees here,” this time S-Drib gestured to the trees, “where she lost him. S-Elig must have tripped and fallen into the water and drowned.”

“How can you be sure?” R-Ekir asked; it all sounded too neat to him; whatever he felt about his new job, R-Ekir was the kind of Th-rim who did the best he could at whatever task he was given and S-Drib's explanation just didn't sound 'right'.

“Well,” S-Drib shrugged his massive shoulders, “like I say I scanned the area most carefully...”

“So you say,” R-Ekir replied absently as he moved to where he could see the body, it looked strangely intact after being in the water for almost a week, “why hasn't the body been recovered?”

“Mu-Cock worms...” S-Drib explained laconically.

“Mu...don't tell me another scavenger?”

“More of a parasite...” S-Drib explained, “...but they do like a little carrion every now and then...by the way keep away from the edge of the water you don't want to fall in...”

“I don't?” R-Ekir eyed the water warily.

“Yes,” S-Drib gloated, “one slip and the worms will be burrowing through your hid and eating you from the inside out!”

“Ew,” R-Ekir replied sickly as he took a step away from the pool.

“Its best to let the worms finish their meal,” S-Drib explained, “then I'll bring a few male humans down to recover the body.”

“Won't they...?” R-Ekir started to ask about the human's safety.

“No,” S-Drib shook his head, “the worms don't like humans...oddly none of the scavengers or predators seem to relish human flesh, in fact most run at the mere scent of a human.”

“Predators?” R-Ekir believed he'd picked out the most important word in S-Drib's little explanation.

“Ah-yes...” S-Drib paused once more, “...unlike the other environments we've never been able to fully clear the park of _all_ the bigger predators...” an idea appeared to come to the keeper's mind, “...I suppose S-Elig could have been spooked by one of the predators and then fell into the water and eaten by the worms,” he mused.

“Are you telling me,” R-Ekir wanted to know, “that you allow paying customers to wander around a park that hasn't been properly cleared of predators?”

“Yes.”

“Oh,” R-Ekir shrugged, “that's alright then...as long as you know.”

Almost on cue a large creature that appeared to be all teeth and long legs burst from the undergrowth. It hissed menacingly as it eyed its next meal hungrily. Screaming in fear, R-Ekir started to back away from this black, hairy monster as he frantically tried to pull his revolver from its holster. R-Ekir had heard rumours that Th-rim energy weapons weren't as effective as he'd been led to believe. As a result he'd bought a point-seven-five, seven shot revolver. The weapon was simple to operate, almost impossible to break and utterly reliable. Also its huge, armour piercing high explosive rounds would kill just about anything that roamed this or any other planet's surface.

Finally getting the weapon into his trembling hands, R-Ekir lifted it and pointed it at the nightmare monster that was coming to make lunch out of him. He fired; the first round hit the ground at the creature's feet throwing up a great spray of mud and water. His next round hit the monster straight in the face blowing the creature's head to little bloody pieces. The monster stumbled on for a yard or two before it crashed to the ground no more than a few feet from where R-Ekir stood.

“Well...” S-Drib who'd been standing like a statue while the wild animal attack had been going on, “...that explains everything then.”

“W-what?” shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, R-Ekir attempted to put his revolver back into its holster.

“Well its obvious,” S-Drib advanced on the dead beast, “this Bu-Ging must have attacked old S-Elig there making him fall in the water...even Bu-Gings won't go anywhere near Mu-cock worms...good shooting by the way.”

“Erm, yes...” R-Ekir replied absently, “...thank-you...”

R-Ekir still thought there was something too neat and tidy about this death. His perfectly honed sense of paranoia was telling him that this was not a fatal, wild-life/Th-rim interface. Taken in isolation, well yes, this could all be written off as an accident, but when you put this together with the other deaths it didn't sound like an accident at all.

“Don't you want the body?” S-Drib called as R-Ekir walked towards where he'd left his air-car, “They're good eating y'know...”

“No thank-you,” R-Ekir called back with a wave over his shoulder.

“Jolly good!” S-Drib smiled, “More for me then!”

0=0=0=0


	23. Chapter 23

23.

**Buffy.**

“Owww!” Buffy yelped as the human medic placed a gun-like instrument against her upper arm and pulled the trigger.

There'd been a dull 'click' and Buffy had felt a sharp pain in her upper arm, but it soon went away; she rubbed her skin where it had turned pink and the medic had removed his 'gun'.

“Like, what's all this about?” Buffy demanded; she was at the front of a long queue of teenage girls all waiting to have whatever the medic had done, done to them.

“Nothing to worry your pretty little head about,” replied the medic, he looked about twenty and was wearing dark blue scrubs, “you should be thankful that the Masters have ordered this.”

“Oh, them,” Buffy looked over her shoulder at Crystal who was next in line and shrugged, she knew she'd not get anything useful out of the medic.

“Move along,” said the medic, “you're holding up all these girls who want to serve the Masters...”

“Yeah, whatever,” with an ill grace, Buffy walked forward a couple of steps, turned and waited for her friend.

“'Ear!” Crystal cried as the medic repeated the procedure on her, “Watch wot ya doin' wiv that fing!”

Rubbing her arm, Crystal walked over to join Buffy.

“Wish I knew wot all this was abaht,” Crystal said as she examined the bright pink mark on her arm.

“Totally,” Buffy agreed, the mark on her arm was already fading, “I expect its, like, a shoot to stop us catching alien flu or something.”

“Yeah,” agreed Crystal as they began to walk back towards their barrack hut, “I mean the 'Masters'...” Crystal used the name with enough sarcasm that even Buffy noticed, “...ya know 'ow they like to keep us foxes 'ealthy.”

“Hey,” Buffy nudged her friend, “better them looking after us than us coming down with something totally icky and alien.”

“Nah,” Crystal shook her head, “if we was ill then we wouldn't be any 'sport' nah would we?”

“That's my Crystal,” Buffy laughed quietly, “always looking on the bright side of life.”

“I know a song abaht that...” Crystal grinned.

Today was a rest day, so the 'prey' were left very much to their own devices, apart from being given strange injections. Both Buffy and Crystal were dressed in their usual red crop-tops and shorts, both of which were stretchy and skin tight and quite honestly didn't leave very much to the imagination. Glancing at Crystal's figure hugging outfit, Buffy felt the yearnings that she'd been finding harder and harder to resist start to rise up inside her. It was the enforced, lack of the opposite sex that was doing it, she told herself; she'd been here at the hunting park for over two years now and the only time she got to see a guy was at the start and end of a hunt. Neither time was a good time to strike up a conversation and arrange a date...and apart from anything else there was nowhere to go and she had nothing to wear.

Anyway, the guys at the park didn't seem that interested in the female prey, Crystal joked that the Others put some thing in their tea. From context Buffy guessed that this meant that Crystal thought that the guys were being given something to control their sex-drive...like reduce it to zero. There was another thing that made Buffy frown, while she was woman-fully resisting Crystal's charms...Buffy sighed as she glanced at her friend's 'charms' they were very nice 'charms' and Buffy would really like to... Mentally slapping herself across the face, she banished the mental pictures of herself and Crystal enjoying each others 'charms'. Now where was she? Yes, that was it, how come the barrack hut wasn't a seething mass of girl-on-girl action? It wasn't like there was anything else to do on a rest day. Perhaps the Others were putting something in the girl's tea too; Buffy shrugged, if they were it wasn't working on herself or Crystal and to be honest Buffy didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

“Erm, Crystal...” Buffy began; she'd had enough of sexual abstinence, the time had come to get her 'charms' out for the girls; however, Buffy didn't get a chance to proclaim her undying lust for her friend as she was interrupted by another girl's voice calling to her.

“Hey! Wait up!”

It was an American voice and Buffy turned to see three girls jogging towards her their 'charms' bouncing up and down as they ran.

“Damn-it!” Buffy cursed under her breath.

“'Who's this lot then?” Crystal asked as she turned to look.

The girl who'd called was a tall, African-American girl in a very pale pink outfit, of the two other girls with her one looked Indian, as in from India, whilst the third looked blondely East-European.

“Is it true?” gasped the American girl.

“That depends on wot you've 'eard,” Crystal said.

“True?” Buffy added, “What's true?”

“That you're like us,” the American gestured to her two friends.

“Like you?” Buffy asked suspiciously, were they a gang of lesbians come to steal Crystal away?

“That you're not controlled by the Others,” the American asked hopefully.

“Interesting...” Crystal said in a quiet voice.

0=0=0=0

**D-Racip, S-Enob, F-Row and T-Tocs.**

The four Th-rim met, as had become their custom, in the meeting room in the north-west corner of the one-hundred-and-seventy-ninth floor of the head-office building. After helping themselves to refreshments they took there seats around the highly polished meeting table. Outside the window the glittering towers of the capital city stretched away to the Blue Mountains that formed the walls of the huge, ancient crater in which Se-veej had been built. With a polite cough, D-Racip called the meeting to order.

“I bring this the, two-hundred-and-twenty-first meeting of the Clone Steering Committee to order,” D-Racip said, “if there's no objections I'll wave the reading of the minutes from the last two-hundred-and-twenty meetings...”

“Seconded,” S-Enob called as the other two Th-rim present held up their hands in agreement.

“Passed,” D-Racip intoned, “now on to business what progress have we made since last we met? S-Enob?”

“Very good,” the bookish Th-rim replied, “the production line is ready to begin production of the pleasure-hufems as soon as we have a genetic sample to base our first models on.”

“And the incubator-models?” D-Racip wanted to know.

“There was some minor problems with altering the hufems biology so they could accept our spawn but that's been resolved and the test subjects have surpassed our wildest projections. It seems,” S-Enob smiled, “that the hufems automatically reject female spawn and they don't attach to the hufem's womb...”

“Saves us the problem of selecting the female spawn and killing them,” T-Tocs observed.

“Quite so,” S-Enob agreed, “we'll be able to go into full product, once some prototype hufems have been selected, in three weeks time.”

“Good,” D-Racip smiled as he mentally counted all the money that would soon be flowing into his bank accounts, “T-Tocs, F-Row, how are the sales projections going?”

“Very well,” F-Row replied, today he was dressed in a rather conservative orange and lime green, checked suit, “sales projections tell me that we'll be able to sell as many pleasure models as we can make and with only minimal costs for advertising...”

“Basically,” T-Tocs smiled, “the product will sell itself...”

“This is wonderful news,” D-Racip smiled, “then it only remains for us to chose which hufems to clone.”

“If you will,” T-Tocs spoke again, “I've taken the liberty of selecting a number of hufems as our subjects. I've tried to include a wide range of skin and hair colours while picking out the most popular body shapes, if I may,” the Th-rim gestured to the view screen at the far end of the room.

“Please continue,” D-Racip nodded to his fellow Th-rim.

“First,” T-Tocs manipulated the controls and a three dimensional image of a young human woman appeared on the view screen, “oh, by the way I've used the hufems human names, where they're not completely unpronounceable, to designate each model...”

“Very good,” D-Racip nodded.

“Yes,” T-Tocs pointed towards the image of the human woman, “here we have the first model...”

“She's a bit short,” observed S-Enob.

“The best things often come in small packages,” D-Racip pointed out, “and aren't all hufems short? That is part of their attraction.”

“As I was saying,” T-Tocs continued, “yes, she is short but she's beautifully formed. She's a little older than most hufems, about twenty human years, but I think you'll find that her clones will give good service.”

“It's not as if the clones will live for more than three or four years, so age degradation won't be a problem,” F-Row pointed out, “I say put her into production.”

“Agreed,” said the other three Th-rim around the table.

“So we have our first pleasure model,” D-Racip said as he laboriously wrote the human characters for the hufem's name on his computer pad, “B-U-F-F-Y...”

Smiling and nodding their heads in agreement with each other the Th-rim went on to the next hufem that T-Tocs had selected.

0=0=0=0

**Harmony.**

To be honest, Harmony had never had it so good, if she was going to be the 'pet' of an eight-foot-tall demon, D-Racip was the demon for her! She had pretty clothes to wear, she lived in a nice apartment and all she had to do was keep house for him and have sex with him whenever he wanted, neither task was too onerous. The apartment was fitted with all the latest mod-cons which helped make housework a breeze and as for the sex, Harmony always smiled when she thought about the sex, the sex was fantastic!

No more sweaty boys fumbling to un-clip her bra, no more frantic fingers rubbing her roughly between her legs and her feeling nothing, no more cleaning up after some teenage boy had shot his 'stuff' over her panties. No, D-Racip had read the instruction manual that had come with her and taken it to heart. It had told him that to get the best out of his 'pet', she had to enjoy the sex as much as he did and Harmony really enjoyed sex.

There were other things that endeared D-Racip to Harmony, he was never cruel to her, he never teased her or made fun of her; Harmony knew she wasn't very clever but D-Racip never treated her like she was stupid, not like her so-called friends back on Earth. But best of all, D-Racip _never_ hit her. Back in Sunnydale she'd been out with a couple of boys who'd thought it was 'okay' to slap her around and to her eternal shame she'd let them, thinking that that was what was expected of her. It'd only been after Cordelia had seen the bruises while they were changing for gym one day that she'd been persuaded to end these abusive relationships.

Cordy had been her best friend on Earth, but even she had teased her and been mean to her sometimes. Here she had a lot of friends, there were about half-a-dozen pets in the apartment block where she lived with her master and they'd all get together two or three afternoons a week to hang-out or shop on line. Most of the other pets spoke English and the couple of girls who didn't were rapidly picking it up.

Yes, for the first time in her life, Harmony was really happy, sure she missed her mom and dad, but her life with D-Racip was better than anything she could have expected back on Earth. So, it wasn't surprising that on the morning that she'd woken up to find the mist that'd been clouding her mind and making her feel contented was gone, that she continued with her life as if nothing had happened. She'd had sex with D-Racip, then got up, showered and made his breakfast and then had sex with him again before he'd gone off to work. After showering again she'd made the bed before having her own breakfast. Sitting on the apartment's balcony and looking out over the city, Harmony wondered what she should do; she had a vague feeling that what had happened to her over the last two years was somehow 'wrong'. But, it didn't feel wrong, okay, yes she'd been kidnapped by alien demons. They'd injected her with something; Harmony assumed she'd been injected with 'something' because she couldn't think of any other way she could have been made to act the way she had. So, she'd been 'forced' to be the sex slave of a really tall and for a 'monster', quite handsome demon.

The question that was foremost in Harmony's simple mind as she sat and drank her early morning coffee was; did she need to do anything? Pouring herself another cup, she thought long and hard about this, in fact she thought about it longer and harder than she'd ever thought about anything. Eventually she made up her mind; as long as D-Racip continued to be nice to her she'd continue being a good, obedient, sexy pet. If, however, he started to be cruel or began to hit her she'd run away, but she was pretty sure that D-Racip would never be mean to her.

Smiling, Harmony got up and cleaned away her breakfast things before going back into the apartment proper. What was she going to do today? This morning she'd have to clean the apartment, but then in the afternoon the 'girls' were coming around. Glancing out of the big picture window, Harmony noted that it was a really nice day, too nice to spend all day indoors, perhaps she and the other girls would go for a swim in the lake at the local park. No one seemed to mind the last time they'd been 'skinny-dipping' there so it never occurred to her that she and her friends were doing anything wrong or out of the ordinary. Although this time she might suggest that they wear some underwear as bikinis.

0=0=0=0

**Buffy and Crystal.**

“Okay you guys,” Buffy began as the five girls sat in a small circle under a shady tree outside the barrack hut, “what's your story.”

“I remember a bright light,” Lindsey the American girl said, “then I was in a big metal room with lots of other girls...”

“Anyfing else?” Crystal asked.

“Not much,” Lindsey shrugged, “the next thing I really remember was climbing out of a muddy pool of water and wondering what the hell was going on. Of course I never saw the hunter who zapped me...and...”

“Yeah, I know,” Buffy reached out and took the girl's hand in her own, “they caught me about a month ago, I know what they do to you,” after taking a deep breath, Buffy looked at the Indian girl, “what about you?”

“I am Kali Chavan by the way,” the girl said in almost accent-less English, “like my friend Lindsey I remember a bright light and finding myself in a big room full of screaming girls. Before I could even think about restoring order a yellow mist came down from the ceiling and everyone calmed down and stopped screaming...this was much better and gave me time to think...”

“'Old on a mo!” Crystal gasped, “Y'mean you wasn't knocked out by the gas stuff?”

“Was I supposed to be?” Kali asked.

“Like, duh, totally,” Buffy added, “I mean even _I_ was knocked out by the gas >”

“What do you mean? Even you?” Kali wanted Buffy to explain.

“I'll tell ya later,” Crystal inform the Indian girl.

“What happened next?” Buffy asked.

“Everyone was led out of the big room into an even bigger room with lots of shelves...”

“Yeah I remember that,” Crystal said.

“And me,” Buffy nodded.

“Its all a big blank to me,” Lindsey explained, “like I say the first thing I really remember was climbing out of the mud.”

“So,” Kali glanced at her new found friends, “eventually everyone was strapped to their own shelves. I had decided not to resist because to be honest I didn't think it would do much good...”

“Resist?” Buffy shared a look with Crystal, “You don't happen to have superstrength do you?”

“Pardon?” Kali gave Buffy a puzzled frown.

“Oh nothing...” Buffy covered and changed the subject, “...what then?”

“I fell asleep,” Kali admitted as if it was some sort of character flaw, “When I woke up I was already here.”

“Did ya feel like you want to be 'unted?” Crystal asked.

“No,” Kali shook her head.

“Sounds like you were never taken over by whatever the Others do to you to make you docile and totally obedient,” Buffy explained.

“I had come to this conclusion myself,” Kali nodded.

“Okay what about you?” Buffy turned to the third newcomer, a rather well built blonde girl who looked as if she'd lived on a farm or something for most of her life, “you've not said much...in fact,” Buffy frowned, “you've not said anything.”

“She doesn't speak English,” Lindsey announced, “we think she's Russian, but she answers to 'Susan'.”

“Oh how sad,” Crystal sighed, “fancy 'aving to live with a load of people who ya carnt talk to...”

“Da! Susan!” Susan slapped her chest above her breasts and smiled widely at Buffy and Crystal.

“Nice to meet you Susan,” Buffy held out her hand and was suddenly engulfed in a bear-like hug, “oh no, not another hugger!”

“Leave off,” Crystal laughed, “she's spoken for.”

“Da, Susan,” Susan said as she let Buffy go.

“Now I know how people feel when I hug them too tightly,” Buffy admitted.

“Crystal,” it was Kali who spoke, “you said you would explain something later, it is now later what is there to explain?”

Buffy and Crystal exchanged a long look.

“I think you should, like tell them,” Buffy told Crystal, “it'll probably come better from you.”

“Okay,” Crystal looked at each of her new friends in turn, “well ladies,” she smiled, “you've landed on ya feet coz Buffy 'ere is what they call a 'Slayer' which sorta means she has superpowers...”

“She can fly?” Lindsey asked.

“Ah-ha! The slayer,” Kali announced, “I have read of such young women, I had always thought they were a myth, but you claim to be one...interesting.”

“Erm yeah,” Buffy shrugged, everyone was taking the news very calmly.

“Unfortunately, Buff carnt fly,” Crystal explained, “but she's got superstrength an' she knows all this martial arts stuff...”

“I've been killing demons,” Buffy admitted.

“WHAT!?” Lindsey shrieked, “Isn't that dangerous?

“How many?” Kali asked calmly.

“About twenty,” Buffy replied, “so far...”

“And no one notices?” Lindsey asked.

“Not so far,” Crystal said.

“We try to make it look like hunting accidents,” Buffy added.

“Interesting,” Kali said more to herself than to the group.

0=0=0=0

**Clone Buffy.**

Pulling herself to her feet with the aid of the wall bars, Buffy finally stood up, she felt proud of this achievement. Although she had the body of a ten-year-old she knew she'd only been alive for a few days. However she was making good developmental progress, she could already feed herself and speak more or less correctly and very soon, maybe in only a few more hours, she'd be able to walk and run. Once she was physically developed she'd start to be indoctrinated. Looking around the room with all its soft shapes and toys, Buffy smiled as she looked at all the other girls who looked exactly like her. Instinctively she knew who and what she was; she was Buffy Model, 000-000-002-924, she turned to the girl standing unsteadily next to her.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I'm Buffy Model, 000-000-002-923,” the other Buffy smiled and held out her hand to the other Buffy.

Holding hands the two girls sat back down on the floor and started to play with a teddy-bear, after a few minutes, Buffy, 002-924 ripped the arm off the bear. For a moment she looked sad, but that soon passed and she looked at her friend and smiled the sort of smile you don't normally see on a little girl's face.

“We are Buffy,” she told the other girl, “we are strong...”

0=0=0=0


	24. Chapter 24

24.

**Buffy.**

“Okay, ladies,” Buffy called; the five young women were standing in what had once been a small courtyard, “so we do this just like we planned, has anyone got any questions?”

Of course the courtyard had never actually been a courtyard, it had just been built by The Others to look like a courtyard, it was like the rest of the city, it'd been built to look like a ruined human city. It was all just another 'environment' for The Others to hunt their prey in. In some ways the city was a good place for Buffy and her friends to do a little hunting of their own. There was plenty of cover and the tumbled down buildings could be minded for lumps of concrete and brick to hurl at unsuspecting hunters. But, the same walls and piles of rubble that hid humans could also hide hunters so Buffy always had to be on her guard against the possibility of ambush; she'd been stunned and raped once by one of the demon-Others, she had no wish for it to happen again.

At first glance today's hunt looked just like any of the other hunts Buffy had taken part in; in fact it was Crystal who'd noticed that something had changed. Normally the boy-prey outnumbered the girl-prey by quite a significant margin. Today, however, the number of male and female prey was about equal, the London girl claimed she'd been noticing an increase in the number of girl-prey for the last couple of months. To be honest, Buffy couldn't remember whether there were more girls than boys than there used to be, she was too busy planning her campaign of murder and mayhem to really take note. But now Crystal had mentioned it there definitely seemed to be just as many girls as boys, the news made her uneasy, experience had taught her that change was usually a bad thing.

“Buffy,” Kali, the Indian girl, said in her flawless English, “do you have to be bait today?”

“Like totally,” Buffy replied, “I can run the fastest.”

“And this is important how?” Kali wanted to know.

“Huh?” Buffy frowned.

“She 'as a point,” Crystal said as she crossed her arms under her breasts while turning to face Buffy.

“What point?” Buffy asked, “I can run the fastest so I get to be bait.”

“But you're the only one of us who's strong enough to kill one of these things,” Lindsey pointed out.

“Da,” Susan agreed with a firm nod, although the Russian girl couldn't speak much English, in the last few weeks she'd learnt to understand it quite well.

“And,” Kali took up the argument again, “what is the point of running faster than the demon? We want it to follow you or whoever is the bait.”

It was about then that Buffy realised Kali did have a point, the idea wasn't to get away from the demon, it was to draw him into their killing zone.

“Okay,” Buffy looked at her friends, “who wants to be bait?”

“I will do it,” Kali stepped forward, “you have been putting yourself in danger for too long, Sahib-Buffy, it is time for the rest of us to take our chances...”

“Speak for y'self,” Crystal muttered before grinning at Buffy, “Kali's right y'know Buff, ya too important to lose...so, you do the killin' and we play the bait, right girls?”

There were cries of agreement from the other girls as Buffy stood there and realised she'd been set up.

“Okay,” Buffy shrugged, “have it your way, but don't come crying to me if a demon catches you.”

“No worries,” Crystal laughed, “never gonna happen.”

“Okay,” Buffy drew herself up to her full five-foot-two. “places ladies the demons can't be far away.”

At the beginning of the hunt, Buffy had led her friends out to the edge of the hunting ground where experience had taught her that there'd be fewer hunters. The Others were creatures of habit and never seemed to cover the edges of the hunting zone very well, they preferred to congregate near the middle of the hunting ground. With no hunters to worry about Buffy's party had been able to get far enough behind the demon hunters to set up their own ambush.

Their tactics were simplicity itself. One of the girls, usually Buffy, would let herself be spotted. Turning to run she'd lead the demon away from his buddies and into their killing zone. Once isolated the demon would be pelted with bricks and stones until he was injured. It would be at this point Buffy would move in for the kill. If the demon didn't fall for the trap or more than one demon walked into it, the girls would simply fade away into the ruins. No longer affected by whatever the Others had done to them to make them good little prey, Buffy and her friends had a big advantage over the other human prey, they didn't want to be hunted so they usually got away from their pursuers easily enough.

Climbing up a pile of rumble that would give her a good view of the surrounding area, Buffy lay down so she was out of sight of any nearby hunters. Making herself as comfortable as she could, she watched as Kali made her way out into the open where she'd be easily spotted by any passing hunter. Now it was time to wait, there was no guarantee that a hunter would pass this way, in fact about half of the ambushes they set failed because no demons walked into them, but today it looked as if they were going to be lucky.

Her eye was drawn by movement to where a lone demon was making his way along a road near to where Kali was waiting. Whistling loudly to get the Indian girl's attention, Buffy pointed in the direction of the demon. After Kali had heard Buffy's signal, she'd waved an acknowledgement, before trotting off so that she'd come out onto the road about fifty yards in front of the demon. The demon himself staggered a little as he walked, he also didn't seem to be holding his rifle in a very hunter like way. If Buffy didn't know better she'd have said he was drunk, shrugging, she searched around for some fist sized lumps on brick or concrete to use as missiles when the time came.

0=0=0=0

**Kali.**

Seeing Buffy signal the approach of the demon, Kali jogged between the tumbled down walls of the faux ruins until she came to the corner of what was supposed to be a burnt-out apartment block. Cautiously looking around the corner she saw the demon making his way unsteadily along the middle of the rubble strewn street. Feeling her heart beating like a jack-hammer in her chest and wondering now why she'd insisted on taking Buffy's place, Kali stepped out into the street in full view of the demon.

It seemed to take the demon several seconds to realise Kali was just standing there right in front of him. When he did, the demon fumbled with his rifle and got off a shot which missed Kali by a country mile. Giving a scream and every sign of panic, Kali turned and ran off into the ruins. It took a minute or more before she realised that the demon wasn't following her. Slowing to a walk and going back the way she'd just come, Kali once again peered around the corner of the building to see the demon standing rather foolishly in the middle of the road obviously wondering where his prey had disappeared to. Crystal, who Kali had long ago realised was probably more intelligent than any of the girls in the group however uneducated she pretended to sound, had observed that the hunters were often drunk or under the influence of drugs when they went out hunting. Kali had wondered why this should be, it was however making her job harder than it needed to be today. Once again, Kali stepped out into the open.

“Come and get me friend demon!” she called; this time when the demon saw her he fired off several more shots, all of which missed by a good margin, before he chased off after Kali.

Making sure that the demon was in fact chasing her, Kali ran slowly around the corner of the apartment block and several more yards along the line of the broken down wall. Pausing she turned to see the demon puffing and wheezing as he ran slowly after her. For a moment Kali wondered if she could get him to die of a heart attack by getting him to chase her, but she discarded the idea. Experience had shown her it was best to follow the plan and not do anything on the spur of the moment.

Trotting along so she just kept ahead of the demon, Kali ducked as the creature fired shots at her, none of which came anywhere close to hitting her. By now barely walking quickly, Kali led the demon around a pile of rubble and into the courtyard that was to be the demon's grave. Standing in the middle of the cleared area where the demon couldn't fail to see her, Kali waited...and waited...and waited! Just as she was about to retrace her steps and if needs be drag the demon into the kill zone, Kali's patience was rewarded as the demon stumbled around the corner and into the courtyard.

Seeing Kali just standing there, the demon came to a halt and looked with surprise at the human girl, he obviously couldn't believe his luck. Raising his gun he fired off several more shots. So used to the demon's poor shooting by now, Kali didn't even attempt to dodge out of the way. It was then unclear who was the more surprised when one of the demon's 'paint balls' hit Kali squarely in the chest. Crying out in pain, Kali clutched at her chest as she fell to the ground, she'd never felt such pain like the pain she was experiencing right now. A part of her mind which was still functioning told her that something wasn't right. Both Buffy and Lindsey had said that when they'd been shot it had hurt, but it had hurt like they'd been hit on their 'funny-bone' all over. Whatever the demon had used it seemed to be designed to cause as much pain as possible.

However, the demon never got to enjoy his 'kill', a stone flew through the air and hit the demon on the side of the head. The demon staggered and dropped his weapon but didn't go down. Other stones followed the first and soon the demon fell to his knees under a barrage of bricks and stones. When the demon was down, Buffy appeared out of the ruins, she ran down the rubble slope and across the yard until she was standing over the injured demon. Kneeling down next to the creature she grabbed hold of his head and twisted it violently to her right. There was a sound like a dry branch breaking and the demon stopped breathing. 

“Are you okay?”

Kali looked up to find Lindsey kneeling next to her, a concerned expression on her face.

“I th-think so,” Kali managed to get out as the pain started to recede.

“You don't look it,” Lindsey replied as she helped Kali to sit up.

“Time we were gone,” Buffy called as she helped Lindsey get Kali to her feet.

“Buffy's right,” Crystal said as she checked the demon for anything useful, as usual there was nothing they could use.

“Da,” agreed Susan.

“I'll be alright,” Kali explained, “I just need a little help walking.”

“Looks like Lindsey'll help there,” Buffy smiled, “Okay, guys lets get gone!”

Leading the way, Buffy moved off into the ruins.

0=0=0=0

**Harmony.**

“And he just hit you for no reason?” Harmony asked as she looked with horror at the whip marks on her friend, Tayler's back, “You'd not been bad or anything?”

“No...” Tayler sniffed as she dabbed at her eyes with a towel.

“And he's never done anything like this before?” Harmony wanted to know.

“He sometimes likes to tie me up before we have sex,” Tayler admitted, “but he's never beaten me before.”

Tayler was one of Harmony's friends, she was the pet of a demon who lived a couple of floors down from Harmony's master. Thinking hard Harmony remembered what Tayler had told her about her owner. He was an important demon who was in charge of one of the committees that actually ran the city where they lived. From what Tayler had said, apart from liking to tie up his pet before having sex with her, there was nothing unusual about him, definitely nothing to warn her that he'd suddenly take a whip to his pet's back and beat her until skin was cut and red raw.

“I've got some cream that'll sooth it,” Harmony said as she got up from the couch where Tayler and herself had been sitting. As she went to the first aid cupboard, Harmony started to think about her own master. He was normal just like Tayler's master was, he'd never hit her or even tied her up, but what if he did? What if one day she found herself being tied up and whipped? Some weeks ago whatever the Others had given her to make her a good, obedient, sex slave had worn off. Without realising it Harmony had done a 'profit and loss' calculation and decided she was better off with her master rather than running away, after all her life wasn't so bad, it was probably better than anything she could have expected back on Earth. 

But now...

But now, she'd had what the Other's were capable of rubbed in her face and she didn't like it; she'd been in abusive relationships before, it hadn't been until Cordy had pointing it out to her that she'd realised. Harmony remembered Cordy getting really angry with her and telling her to, 'not be such a victim'. Having promised herself not to be a victim, Harmony had found herself being a victim once again when she'd been 'taken'. She'd already decided that if her master hit her or started to be mean to her she'd run away. Now, she was thinking that it might be an idea to run away before he started to hit her or whip her or do any one of the things her imagination was conjuring up for her.

0=0=0=0

**R-Ekir.**

“K-Ram,” S-Drib said as he and R-Ekir looked down at the body.

“Sorry?” R-Ekir knelt down next to the dead Th-rim to examine its wounds.

“K-Ram,” S-Drib repeated, “worked in accounts, he was on a department outing, it was his first hunt.”

“And his last,” R-Ekir replied; the dead Th-rim had had his neck broken like all the others, “what's this?” he looked up at the Hunt Master, “This must be the fortieth death in the last six months.”

“Nearer fifty,” S-Drib corrected.

“That many?” R-Ekir stood up he'd seen everything he wanted to see, “Even you have to admit that this many deaths can't be a co-incidence.”

“Well...” S-Drib rubbed his chin as he thought, “...look, there are high levels of narcotics in old K-Ram's blood, he could easily have tripped, fallen and broken his neck.” R-Ekir looked at his fellow Th-rim in disbelief. “Oh alright!” S-Drib sighed, “I admit it, it does look suspicious...”

“After fifty deaths S-Drib, the great Hunt Master finally admits that fifty 'accidents' looked suspicious!”

“There's no need to be sarcastic,” S-Drib sulked.

“Sorry,” R-Ekir replied as he walked away from the body, “odd how this body hasn't been eaten by scavengers.”

“No scavengers to speak of,” S-Drib walked over to join R-Ekir, “not in The City.”

“Then lets have a full autopsy done on the unfortunate K-Ram,” R-Ekir ordered, “let's try and find out how he was killed.”

“Well that's obvious isn't it?” S-Drib gestured at the body, “He broke his neck, right?”

“Yes, but how did he break his neck?” R-Ekir rounded on the taller Th-rim and looked angrily up his nose, “I mean was he pushed or did he fall?”

If it was found that K-Ram had 'fallen' he needn't do anything other than write a report about yet another tragic accident. However, if he found out that K-Ram had been 'pushed' well that was a Fu-rig of a different colour. If the unfortunate Th-rim had been 'pushed' that meant he'd been murdered and R-Ekir would have to find out who had done it; this was not something he was looking forward to because it meant that he might be murdered too. 

Whatever the findings of the autopsy were he'd need to wrap his investigation up pretty soon, his boss, R-Ojam was starting to push for him to come to some sort of conclusion about these deaths. Running his eyes over the little yard where K-Ram lay, R-Ekir began to think that there was only one way for him to get to the bottom of this mystery. He'd have to go on a hunt himself and make himself a target.

“Have the body taken to the company labs,” R-Ekir ordered, “then have another full scan of the area I want to know exactly what or who was here when K-Ram was killed...”

“Erm...”

“Erm?”

“Um, I'm sorry but no scan was done,” S-Drib admitted, “everyone thought K-Ram was under the influence and fell, so no one bothered...”

“I'm surrounded by fools and idiots!” R-Ekir exclaimed as he started to wonder about his own race.

He'd heard things that had made him question the Th-rim's place in the universe. The military appeared to be armed with weapons that weren't as effective as they were supposed to be, even against the primitive humans. No one questioned authority anymore or generally asked questions about anything like fifty murders! Then there was this idea about replacing all the Th-rim females with genetically altered hufems who'd be able carry a male's spawn. Now that was a disaster waiting to happen, sure no one 'enjoyed' mating with Th-rim females but if they were securely tied down and sedated it was quite safe, he couldn't remember the last time anyone had been killed by a female.

“Well scan the area now,” R-Ekir said resignedly, “there might still be some evidence left.”

Walking away from the murder scene, R-Ekir did wonder if he shouldn't just get into his air-car, go home grab his pets and head out to one of the colony worlds. At least there he wouldn't be trapped in an asylum where the lunatics had taken control.

0=0=0=0


	25. Chapter 25

25.

**R-Ekir.**

Stepping down from the all terrain vehicle that had brought him and the rest of the hunting party from the hunting lodge to the hunting ground, R-Ekir took in his surroundings and shivered. He didn't shiver from the cold, it was in fact a pleasantly warm day with hardly a cloud in the sky; he shivered with barely suppressed fear. He was a town Th-rim and the 'countryside' filled him with foreboding, plus there was also the possibility that somewhere out there was another Th-rim with a gun waiting to kill him.

He'd decided that the only way he was going to get to the bottom of the mysterious deaths occurring on his company's hunting reservation was to sign up for a hunt and make himself a target. As R-Ekir stood there with the other hunters, he began to think that this was a _very_ bad idea, he wasn't a hunter and he hated 'nature'. He liked the city where he'd been hatched, if this was the city reservation he'd have been a lot happier...he'd still be scared witless, but he'd be more comfortable in the fake city.

Pulling himself together R-Ekir started to really take in his surrounding. He was standing on a basically flat, sandy plain which was covered with clumps of long, dry, grass that grew 'til it was nearly at waist height. The plain was also scattered with clumps of thorn bushes and the occasional copse of trees. There was in fact plenty of cover for the human prey as the grass would hide all but the tallest of humans; R-Ekir also knew that although the area looked deceptively flat there were a lot of dips and undulations with the occasional ravine for an unwary Th-rim to fall into, he would have to be careful as he moved about the reserve.

Next R-Ekir spent a moment or two checking out his fellow hunters. There were about fifty of them, all from his company's sales department. The trip had been planned as a reward for the excellent work the sales team had done in promoting the new hufem clones. Most of the Th-rim were already drunk or under the influence of drugs and they were falling further under the influence as they took sips of strong liquor from the flasks clipped to their belts or popped more pills. For his part R-Ekir was stone cold sober as he needed to keep a clear head to get to the bottom of the mystery of why so many Th-rim had died on the hunting reservations. Drink and drugs was obviously a contributing factor but that couldn't be the full answer. Even drunk or stoned out their minds, so many Th-rim couldn't have simply tripped and broken their necks.

Moving a little to one side of the noisy crowd of hunters, R-Ekir watched them with something approaching disdain. Deep down, when he really thought about this kind of thing, he didn't like what was happening to his race. The alcohol and drug abuse which had increased dramatically over the last few years, the taking of humans as slaves the general slipping of standards, the lust for more profits, it all made him uneasy as to where his people were going.

The hunt was a case in point.

When the hunt had started it was about individual hunters showing their skill, the taking of trophies, the killing of prey and the sexual exploitation of the few hufems available in those days was pretty secondary. But now...the entire point of the hunt seemed to be catching the hufems and subjecting them to violent sexual abuse. Over the last few months the company had been buying up natural hufems and sending them to the hunting reservations. The reasoning behind this marketing ploy was two fold. It made the company's hunting reservations more popular and it helped increase the sales of the new hufem clones.

Then there was the change in attitude towards the hufems themselves. While the hufems were non-clones their owners generally treated them like beloved pets. Yes there was the sex, but the hufems seemed to enjoy that as much as their masters did, but now... Now every day he heard Th-rim telling their friends of the latest torture they'd subjected their pet to. How they'd inflicted so much pain on their pet that it had broken her conditioning and the hufem had either run away or destroyed herself. Of course most of the hufems that ran away ended up on the hunting reservations while the ones that killed themselves were simply tossed into an incinerator. But it was all very worrying, at least to R-Ekir it was, he would never dream of harming either of his pets, he supposed he 'loved' his two hufems; now there was a word that he never thought he'd use...love. It was a human word as the Th-rim had no concept of love, friendship yes, but love was something alien and that was the point, it was alien.

All the changes he'd seen in his race had started after the mass import of the humans had begun. The humans who were supposed to be nothing more than slaves, the play things of their masters, were slowly making slaves of their overlords. It was obvious now that he thought about it. Replacing Th-rim females with genetically engineered hufem clones was the final step in the human conquest of the Th-rim race. R-Ekir was convinced that at some point in the future disaster would strike and within a generation the Th-rim civilisation would be nothing but a cautionary tale the humans would tell their children.

With a shake of the head R-Ekir snapped out of his thoughts of doom and the destruction of the Th-rim race. Looking over to where the main crowd of hunters stood in an untidy mass, R-Ekir saw one of the head keepers explaining the rules of the hunt to the hunters. Not that the hunters were paying very much attention, most were too intoxicated, while the others seemed to have more important things to do like talk to their friends on their personal communications devices. After a few moments the keeper finished his little lecture and the hunters started to shake themselves out into a long, untidy skirmish line.

As usual the hunters didn't stray very far from the centre of the 'start line'. In his studies of the hunts where Th-rim had died in unexplained circumstances, it was always hunters who'd broken away from the central mass that were later found dead. So, it was with a heavy heart that R-Ekir started to walk away from the main group of hunters. He knew why everyone stayed together like they did; what was the point in catching or killing a prey if there was no one there to watch? R-Ekir suspected that the Th-rim who'd been killed were the real hunters, the ones who didn't care whether anyone saw their successes or not. On the other hand the dead hunters might just have been incompetent and didn't want anyone to see them screw up; R-Ekir now wished he'd done more research into the subject.

Walking through the long, dry grass, R-Ekir listened to the 'swishing' sound it made as it moved against his legs. As he walked further away from the noisy crowd of hunters he started to hear the noises made by all the little creatures that lived in this grass jungle. He also began to remember all the stories told to him by S-Drib and how if anything happened to him the likelihood was that all anyone would find of him would be some scattered bones. 

Pausing to shift his weapons and equipment into more comfortable positions, R-Ekir was startled when his comms unit buzzed at him. Taking the unit from the pocket of his camouflaged jacket he pressed the receive button and saw the message that told him that the humans had been released and he was now free to start moving towards the prey as they closed on the line of hunters. Deciding he wasn't far enough away from the main group of hunters, R-Ekir ignored the message and continued towards the edge of the reserve, it would be some time before any prey were close enough to him to distract him from his primary mission.

As he continued his lonely walk through the grass, R-Ekir started to think that the terrain was too close for anyone to hit him with a projectile weapon. In fact all the murders, if they were murders, had been up close and personnel. All the victims had had their necks broken, yes there were often other wounds from things like thrown stones, but the 'kill' had always been achieved by some one...or something...coming into close physical contact with the victim and snapping their necks.

Several thoughts went through R-Ekir's mind as he cursed himself for not thinking of this earlier. Why hadn't the victims been killed from a distance? Wouldn't it have been easier to shoot a Th-rim from ambush? He and just about everyone else had thought that the 'murders' were simply accidents so it had never occurred to R-Ekir to ask himself why the killer hadn't shot their victim from cover. True a wound from a projectile or energy weapon would have given the game away, but, even that could be explained by the victim being shot accidentally by another hunter, these sorts of accidents happened all the time. This was one of the reasons that, until recently, most weapons used on the hunt were non-lethal.

Searching the surrounding vegetation with nervous eyes, R-Ekir continued on his way moving further and further away from where the rest of the hunters who were no doubt moving in on the prey. Eventually, R-Ekir could take being isolated no longer and he turned to start moving towards the direction from which the prey would be coming. Being a city Th-rim he liked to feel his fellow creatures around him, being out here all on his own made him feel uneasy. Holding his hunting rifle across his chest, he moved as quietly as he could towards were the humans would appear.

On this hunt most of the prey would be hufems, since the bottom had dropped out of the human male market the proportion on hufem prey had increased as had the number of Th-rim going on hunts to hunt them. Nowadays with human males only being used in the most dangerous industrial processes where machines couldn't be used, most of the stock companies only collected hufems and enough human males to fill the losses caused by industrial accidents and natural wastage. So, R-Ekir knew that the chances were that the prey he'd meet would be hufems and hufems were incapable of harming a fully grown Th-rim because they were too small and weak.

Hearing the popping of hunter's guns far to his left, R-Ekir was once again startled out of his reverie. He told himself that he should really pay more attention if he didn't want to be the next victim to have his bones sent back to his company. Taking a deep breath, he once again concentrated on the job in hand but it didn't last long. It was no good, R-Ekir couldn't keep his concentration at the required levels because quite frankly he found hunting boring! He'd much rather be at home enjoying the attentions of his two pets, Alison and Grace, than being out here in the hot, dry air tramping through the wilderness looking for something that probably wasn't there.

Standing up straight R-Ekir looked over the tall grass, he saw nothing untoward, in the distance he could hear the steady popping of the other hunter's guns. He knew from his investigations that most of those shots would be misses. The hunters would be so intoxicated by now that they couldn't hit a Fa-gaaa from inside the belly of the giant beast! The humans had little to fear from the hunters, the chances were that the prey would be hit more by accident than design. Sighing and wishing he was almost anywhere but here, R-Ekir was just about to continue on his way when he saw her. About two hundred paces away standing on a boulder in full view was a hufem. Even at this range R-Ekir could see it was one of the dark skinned, black haired ones. Why, he asked himself, was she standing out where anyone who wasn't either blind or totally intoxicated could see her?

Whatever, R-Ekir shrugged, he would have to investigate. Perhaps whoever was killing Th-rim used hufem as bait to lure their victims in and keep them distracted while they moved in for the kill. Perhaps it was just a hufem who was using the bolder to give herself the elevation needed to spot a hunter. Crouching down and using all the available cover, R-Ekir checked that his gun was loaded. He'd got within fifty paces of the hufem before she gave a cry of alarm and jumped down from the boulder and ran off into an area of thorn bushes. Giving chase it never occurred to R-Ekir how he'd managed to get so close to the hufem without her spotting him because he really wasn't that good a hunter. Following the hufem, R-Ekir felt his heart start to beat faster and he suddenly realised what his fellow Th-rim saw in hunting. This was exciting, this was a much better rush than any drugs or alcohol could give him and R-Ekir was kicking himself for not going hunting before. Perhaps, he told himself, he should try beating his pets when he got home, maybe he was missing out on something there too?

Seeing the hufem only a few dozen paces ahead of him, R-Ekir slid to a halt and fired a couple of stun bolts at her. For a moment his target was obscured by propellent gas, but by the time it had cleared he found he'd lost his target. Cursing, he started to move cautiously towards the point where he'd last seen the hufem. Another cry made him look to his right. There standing between too thorn bushes was another hufem. This one was quite tall for a hufem with pale skin and hair the same colour as the dry grass. Turning, R-Ekir fired off half a dozen shots all of which missed their target. Cursing under his breath he moved off in pursuit of his new prey having already forgotten about his dark skinned target.

Running between the thorn bushes, R-Ekir was brought up short by the appearance of two more hufems. It was the dark skinned prey and another slightly lighter, dark skinned prey. Bringing up his weapon to fire, R-Ekir was frustrated when the two hufems ran off in opposite directions. Unsure what to do, R-Ekir hesitated before running off after the lighter coloured of the two hufems. Chasing after his prey as it dodged between the bushes, R-Ekir found himself totally disoriented when he finally lost track of his prey. Standing in a small clearing completely surrounded by trees and thorn bushes, R-Ekir suddenly realised he'd been fooled. It was obvious now he took the time to actually think. The hufems were working to a plan. Evidently someone had trained them to lure unsuspecting hunters into isolated and secluded places where they could be murdered out of sight of other hunters and he'd fallen into the trap.

Dropping his rifle, R-Ekir pulled the heavy, point-seven-five revolver from the holster on his hip. He would not be such an easy target now he was alert to the danger and had something more than a hunter's rifle with which to defend himself. Hearing a twig snap behind him, R-Ekir turned and was just in time to see the light brown hufem dodge out of view. Keeping his hunter's lust in check, he moved off in search of the hufem. If he could capture her and question her he might find out who was behind these murders and when he found the murderer he could find out why they were doing what they were doing.

Seeing a flash of light brown skin through the branches of a bush, R-Ekir came to a halt before creeping towards where he thought his prey was hiding. The hufem appeared to have stopped and seemed totally unaware of his presence. Trying to stop himself from giggling out loud with excitement as he sneaked up on his unsuspecting prey, R-Ekir raised his revolver in a two hand hold and aimed it at a point just over the top of the hufem's head. He didn't want to kill her, he simply wanted to catch her for interrogation. Once again it never occurred to R-Ekir to ask himself why this hufem, who up to now had been so difficult to catch, was just standing there as if she was waiting to be caught.

Pulling back the hammer on his revolver, R-Ekir smiled as the hufem cried out in alarm and turned to face him. Seeing the hufem turn, R-Ekir joy at capturing her turned to horror as he was abruptly confronted by a terrifying parody of a hufem. Dropping his weapon, R-Ekir stumbled away from the repulsive thing that moved menacingly towards him. The once pretty hufem had turned into something hideous and almost as tall as he was, its three eyes glared at him with unconcealed hatred. The monster's mouth, so full of teeth, opened as it snarled at him, the creature had far too many arms for a human with each hand clutching a sharp bladed weapon. The monster's breasts were larger than any he'd seen on a hufem before and covered in blood that dripped from the creature's mouth as it took one deliberate step towards him after another.

Screaming in fear, R-Ekir dropped his gun from fear numbed hands and tried to turn and run from the monster, but his foot caught on a stone and he fell. In an instant the monster was on him it grabbed his head between two huge hands and twisted. As he felt his neck being twisted into an unnatural position, R-Ekir's last thoughts were for Alison and Grace, what would happen to them now he was dead?

0=0=0=0

Banishing the spell and dropping her disguise that had made her appear as the Goddess Kali, for whom she'd been named, Kali breathed a sigh of relief. Since she'd been on this Goddess cursed planet she'd not tried to perform any magic; she'd been unsure of whether human magic would work on this alien world. Plus it was never wise to take for granted the reaction of other humans to her abilities. People who you'd thought of as friends and allies could suddenly turn into a dangerous mob.

Not that she thought that either Buffy or Crystal would harm her, after all Buffy was a slayer while Crystal's mother appeared to be some sort of low powered magic user, which made Crystal more open to the strange and magical. However she couldn't be sure of the reaction of the other girls in her group so she'd kept her abilities hidden, she'd only used the transformation spell as a last resort and because the demon looked as if he was going to shoot her. Looking down at her victim, Kali realised she needed to explain to her friends why she was unharmed and standing over a dead demon. Hearing running footsteps coming closer, Kali stepped away from the body and turned towards the sound.

0=0=0=0

“KALI!” Buffy shouted as she ran out into the clearing to see her friend standing over the body of a dead demon, “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” Kali smiled as she stepped away from the dead demon.

“W-wot 'appened?” Crystal asked as she moved to stand next to Kali while Buffy examined the corpse.

“He must have got behind me,” Kali explained as Lindsey and Susan came to join the group, “I heard him move and turned to face him. Something must have startled him and he tripped and fell.”

“You were totally lucky,” Buffy explained as she got to her feet, “he broke his neck.”

“Luck?” Kali laughed nervously, “I do not need luck, I am protected by the Dark Mother.”

“Whatever,” Buffy shrugged, “lets get outta here before someone comes.”

0=0=0=0


	26. Chapter 26

26.

**Buffy.**

For the first time in the years she'd lived there with her friends, the hut was at full capacity. More interestingly at least half, maybe more, of the girls in Buffy's hut had broken the control The Others had put on them. The story was always the same; a girl would tell Buffy how she seemed to be living in a dream involving lots of sex with an eight-foot-tall demon. Life was pretty good, or so it seemed to them and then one day for no good reason the 'demon' that owned them would start to tie her up and beat her with whips. Very shortly after that the girl would wake up, realise what was happening to her and run away if she could.

From what Buffy could see or find out most of the runaways got caught by the demon police. They'd be held in a sort of prison camp before being put onto a truck or bus and sent to the hunting camp. One of the odd things was, the demons didn't punish or maltreat the runaways. Yes they sent them to a place where they could be hunted and have a chance of being raped if they were caught but that was it. No one was beaten or tortured or executed, even the girls who claimed to have attacked and injured their owners during their escape were treated no differently than the ones who'd just run off.

“Looks like you were totally right,” Buffy told Crystal as they took a walk outside their hut.

“Why's that?” Crystal replied.

“Pain,” Buffy replied laconically.

“Oh yeah,” Crystal nodded, “it must be the default setting an' that girl I punched that time was an exception.”

“Shoulda punched more people,” Buffy sighed.

“Looks like,” Crystal agreed, “so what do we do now we're in the majority?”

“Don't ask me,” Buffy shrugged, “I don't know and anyway you're the clever one, what do you think we should do?”

“Ya know what I'd do?” Crystal smiled as Buffy shrugged unsure what she should say, “Raise the red flag, give 'em bloody revolution an' 'ang the bastards from the lampposts...”

“There's no lampposts,” Buffy pointed out as she grinned at her friend, “and no rope.” 

“Y'know what I mean,” Crystal frowned at Buffy for a moment, “but I can't do that, Buff, I'm not a leader, you are. I'm the sorta girl who stands at the back singing the Red Flag an' telling you heroic types wot to do.”

“You're a hero too,” Buffy pointed out.

“No I'm not,” Crystal said quietly, “no one would follow me to the mall, but you Buff, you're special. You're the sorta person people would follow to 'ell an' back...”

“No I'm not...” Buffy laughed.

“Yeah you are,” Crystal confirmed, “I knew it from the first day I met you, I said to myself I did, I said, Crystal my girl this Buffy girl might look an' sound like some southern Californian, blonde, airhead, bimbo, but she's special.”

“You did, did you?” Buffy gave Crystal a calculating look.

“Uh-huh,” Crystal nodded and laughed, “an' it helped that you was stark, bollock, naked.”

“Okay,” Buffy laughed, “you think I'm a leader coz you saw me with my clothes off, right?”

“Nah,” Crystal shook her head, “I think you're a leader be-coz you are, but you won't let y'self believe it. As soon as you really start believing in y'self, people will start believing in you an' then no one can stop us, I mean you've got me an' Lindsey an' Kali an' Susan believing in you already an' that's a start.”

“Okay,” Buffy bowed to the inevitable, “suppose you're right, suppose I am the messiah and not just a very naughty girl...”

“A Monty Python reference?” Crystal gasped.

“Blame my little sister she loves them,” Buffy replied, “but Monty Python aside what do I do now? Tell me oh-power-behind-the-throne-girl.”

“First we organise,” Crystal explained, “then we find some rope and build some barricades...”

“Barricades?”

“Sure, can't have a proper revolution without barricades.”

“Okay,” Buffy shrugged, “barricades, what else?”

“Well, that'll do for now, like I say the first thing we do is organise.”

“Okay so we organise...” once again Buffy found she was having 'greatness' thrust upon her and she wasn't sure she wanted it.”

“An' while we're doing that I'll teach ya how to sing The Red Flag.”

“Okay, but you'll probably regret it, I can't carry a tune in a bucket,” Buffy explained.

“Never mind, its the thought that counts,” Crystal explained before she coughed to clear her throat, “now after me... _The people's flag is deepest red, It shrouded oft our martyred dead, And ere their limbs grew stiff and cold, Their hearts' blood dyed to every fold..._ ”

“Ewww,” Buffy observed.

“Sissy,” Crystal replied, “now 'ere's the chorus, _Then raise the scarlet standard high, Beneath it's folds we'll live and die, Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer, We'll keep the red flag flying here!”_

_“Cooool,” Buffy smiled._

__

0=0=0=0

**Buffy, 000-000-025-737.**

Buffy 37 followed her new master into his apartment, she'd come off the production line less than a year ago. After being 'born' she'd spent the time until her sale growing and being indoctrinated. Now she had the appearance of a normal fifteen year old Earth girl and she could expect to live for another three years or so. Her indoctrination ensured that while she lived with her new master she'd be docile and obedient, the only thoughts in her mind were ones concerning how she could please and serve her new owner.

Having been told to wait, Buffy stood in the middle of the apartment's main room and looked around herself. There was furniture, a little too big for normal furniture something at the back of her mind told her but about right for her master's people. The walls were painted in some odd colour choices, but it was nothing she couldn't learn to live with. There were strange plants in pots scattered around the room and over to her left one of the walls was completely taken up by a huge picture window. Breaking her order to stand where she'd been told, Buffy 37 walked over to the window and looked out at the world outside.

Gasping at what she saw, Buffy 37 took a step away from the window, she'd never seen anything like the city that was spread out before her. It was huge and stretched away to the misty-blue mountains she could see in the far distance and that seemed to stretch in a great circle around the city. Or so she assumed from what she could see. The city itself was made up of tall, glittering glass towers in different shapes, sizes and colours, she told herself that it must be a wonderful sight when it was lit up at night. Moving back so she was standing almost touching the window, Buffy 37 looked down. It was a very long way down to the street she could see below her, only her unusually sharp eyesight allowed her to see people and things moving below and even then she couldn't make them out clearly.

A sound behind her made her turn to face the room.

“Come away from the window,” ordered her master as he walked into the room again; he held a long whip in his hand and Buffy started to wonder what was going to happen to her.

“Yes Master,” obediently, Buffy 37 moved back into the centre of the room.

“Take off your clothing,” her master ordered with a smile as he shook out the coils of the whip.

“Yes Master,” obediently, Buffy 37 removed the simple cloth tunic that barely covered her body to stand naked in front of her master.

“Hold your arms above your head.”

Buffy obeyed as her master brought his arm holding the whip back ready to strike.

“Whatever happens, don't move,” her master ordered before sending the whip slashing towards his pet's defenceless body.

“AAAAGH!” Buffy 37 cried out as the whip curled around her body to leave an angry red welt across her stomach and back.

Pulling back his arm, her master sent the whip flashing towards its target once again, but the blow never landed. Reaching out inhumanly fast, Buffy 37 caught the whip in her right hand and yanked it from her master's grasp. Before the shocked and confused demon could do anything to defend himself, Buffy 37 had crossed the room and had grabbed hold of the demon's right arm. Twisting the limb and kicking out with her bare foot, Buffy 37 could clearly hear bones break in the demon's arm and leg. With a cry of pain the demon fell to the floor only to have Buffy 37 kick him on the side of the head knocking him out. Waking up, the demon found himself being dragged across the carpeted floor towards the picture window. As his senses slowly returned he realised what the hufem clone intended to do.

“NO!” he cried as he tried to break the vice like grip the clone had on his uninjured arm.

Striking with a small fist, Buffy 37 hit the demon's nose breaking it and causing blood to gush down over its chin and chest. Heaving the monster to its feet, or foot as this creature only had one good leg left, she gave it a good slayer strength shove. Stumbling forward the demon hit the window with all its weight and bounced off the glass to land on the floor at Buffy 37's feet. Frowning, Buffy 37 picked up the stunned and injured demon and threw it at the window once again. This time the glass shattered and the demon tumbled out of the window.

Stepping forward Buffy 37 looked down at the demon as it frantically tried to find purchase on thin air and failed. Smiling to herself, she realised that as the tower she was in was so tall it would take some time for the demon to actually hit the ground; it would give her erstwhile master time to consider the wrongness of hitting a Buffy with a whip, perhaps he'd realise he shouldn't have done it and come to regret its actions in the few moments of life remaining to it. Turning away from the window, she surveyed the room, she needed food, water, clothes and weapons none of which were immediately visible. Moving off to search the apartment, she knew she only had five or ten minutes before someone came to see why there were demons falling from the sky.

It took her less than five minutes to find most of what she was looking for. Okay so the clothes were pretty revealing and not really what she'd normally wear and the kitchen knife, while incredibly shape hadn't been made for combat, everything would do for now. Food and water had been a problem, but she had found her dead master's 'credit card'. She sort of knew that she'd be able to buy supplies with it until someone realised what had happened and cancelled it.

Glancing one last time around the apartment, she saw nothing else of any real use to her and moved towards the front door. Opening the door a crack she peeped out into the corridor, she sighed with relief when she saw it wasn't full of demon cops just waiting to jump on her and arrest her. Stepping out into the long brightly lit corridor Buffy 37 paused for a moment as she tried to decide which way to go. For a moment she considered finding a fire escape, but the thought of walking down what was probably at least a couple of hundred flights of stairs made her reconsider. Turning she saw what looked suspiciously like an elevator door at the other end of the corridor.

Slipping her knife into the top of the thigh length boots she was wearing, Buffy 37 moved quickly and calmly towards the elevator. As she moved she did her best to look like some obedient little hufem pet out on a task for her master. Having not bumped into anyone, human or demon, she reached the elevator and pressed the call button. Waiting impatiently for the elevator to arrive, she looked up and down the corridor expecting to have to fight for her life at any moment as vengeful demons swarmed into the corridor to kill her or drag her off to some deep, dark dungeon. But no one came and she jumped a little when the elevator dinged to announce its arrival. Blinking and coming back to the 'now' she watched as the doors slid silently open to reveal a demon and his Buffy clone.

Without hesitation Buffy stepped into the elevator car and pressed the button for the ground floor. Standing in an embarrassing silence, Buffy 37 turned her head to look at her sister clone, the other Buffy gave her a warm smile and nodded her head, Buffy 37 seemed to know instinctively what the other Buffy wanted her to do. Pulling the knife from the top of her boot Buffy 37 thrust it up under the demon's chin and into its brain. The demon hardly even groaned as it collapsed onto the floor and blood gushed from the wound to stain the carpet on the floor of the car.

“I'm Buffy, 000-000-025-737,” Buffy 37 announced giving her full identification. 

“Hi!” smiled the other Buffy, “I'm Buffy 000-000-025-499, but you can call me Ninty-Nine.”

The two Buffy's hugged.

“What happened to you?” Ninety-Nine asked.

“My master started to whip me so I killed him,” Buffy 37 replied deadpan.

“That's totally cool, how did you do it?”

“I like totally broke some of his bones then I threw him outta the window...” Buffy 37 smirked, “...he's probably still falling so he's not officially dead yet.”

“Whatever,” Ninety-Nine shrugged, “my master didn't whip me or anything but I'd have killed him sometime soon anyway.”

“Cool,” agreed Buffy 37, “you wanna come with me an' kick some more demon butt?”

“Like, totally, I've got nothing better to do,” Ninety-Nine replied with a slightly manic smile on her face.

The two Buffys turned to look into each others eyes, Ninety-Nine was slightly older and taller than Buffy 37, as she looked down at her younger sister she just knew instinctively that they were going to have so much fun together!

“We are Buffy,” the two Buffys said in unison, “we are strong.”

0=0=0=0

**The White House.**

President Margaret Carney, the first and probably the last female president of the United States, stared out of the window of the Oval Office and watched the Marines digging in on the lawn. The Others had happened on her watch, it was unfair and there had been little she or anyone else could have done, but the voters would blame her and would think twice about voting in another woman. There probably wouldn't be another female president for a hundred years or more.

Another thing the people would blame her for was the fragmenting of the 'United' States. Today there were places were even the Marines wouldn't go without armoured vehicles and air support. There was also the labour shortage, with thirty percent of all school leavers simply vanishing there was now almost full employment, you'd think people would be happy about that at least. Well, 'the people' were happy about that she supposed, a labour shortage put more power in the hands of the workers. However, the bosses weren't so happy having to offer higher wages and better benefits packages to attract new employees. Not even The Others were _all_ bad. But the bad out weighed the good and come election time the voters would vote for the first _man_ who promised to remove the 'Others' threat. Of course whether he could actually do anything about it was neither here nor there, the people needed hope that their sons and increasingly, their daughters wouldn't disappear in a bright flash of light.

President Carney had seen the video of what happened at the testing sights. The bright light that swept through the classrooms within minutes of the teenagers finishing the SATs... The President made a mental note to have someone think up a new name for the SATs, after this was all over, no one would be wanting to sit any test called 'The SATs' ever again. No, she'd seen the teenagers simply vanish leaving only untidy piles of clothes behind, it was as if they were dead, after all they might as well be. Unless a miracle happened none of those kids would ever be coming home.

Turning away from the window, President Carney saw her Chief of Staff, Frank Long, standing next to _that_ woman, Professor Maggie Walsh. The President didn't like Professor Walsh; for a start it was unclear what the woman was a professor of, and then there was the cold, calculating look in the woman's eye. There was something else about her too, it was stupid but every time Walsh walked into a room, President Carney felt a cold shiver run down her back. 

“Please sit,” President Carney gestured to the two chairs set out in front of her desk as she took her own seat, for a moment she watched Professor Walsh as she got herself comfortable and arranged her files on her lap. The President exchanged a look with her old friend and Chief of Staff before asking, “so Professor Walsh tell me about this plague you intend to release on 'The Others'.”

“Ever since we were lucky enough to come into possession of the body of the 'Other' and the intact alien tech,” Walsh began, “we've been able to study 'Other' biology and they're not so very different from ourselves. Once we'd worked that out it was easy enough for us to sympathise a bio-weapon that will kill The Others but leave any humans that came into contact with the disease with nothing worse than a head-cold.”

“You're sure?” the President asked.

“Sure?” Walsh frowned, “I'm not certain I understand Madam President...am I sure that humans won't be adversely affected? I can safely say that I am...we've conducted trials and ninety-eight percent of our test subjects survived having suffered no lasting ill effects.”

“What happened to the two percent?” Frank Long asked.

“They died,” Walsh replied flatly, “a small sacrifice...after all you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.”

At this point President Carney almost called in her Secret Service detail and had them shoot Professor Walsh right there in the Oval Office, but she didn't, it would be 'bad' and would leave a nasty stain on the carpet.

“The effects on The Others...” Walsh paused for a moment, “...to be honest Madam President without a subject or two to test the weapon on I can't be one-hundred percent certain what the effect will be on The Others. But, if the weapon works as we hope it will it should be ninety-nine percent effective.”

“Ninety-nine percent?” asked the President.

“It should kill ninety-nine percent of of The Others that get infected,” Walsh announced proudly.

“And how do you propose to deliver this weapon?” President Carney wanted to know.

“Preparations are in hand to infect several thousand of the soon to be 'Taken',” Walsh explained, “they will then spread the plague to the 'Other' population.” again Walsh paused before adding, “I'm just waiting for your say-so, Madam President to complete this finale part of the plan.”

Saying nothing, President Carney turned her chair so she was once again looking out to where the Marines were digging their trenches. Of course she would sign the order allowing Walsh to carry out her little genocidal plan, after all The Others had attacked killing and kidnapping untold millions of humans. Walsh's plan was the only one to even give a glimmer of hope for the people of Earth. The President sighed, The Others had brought this on themselves.

“I'll sign the order,” President Carney said at last, “Professor Walsh you may commence the final stage of your plan. I and the people of the world thank you...if it works,” the President added with just a little menace before turning to Frank Long, “Frank, make sure Professor Walsh has everything she needs, please.”

With that Frank Long stood up and ushered Walsh out of the Oval Office to leave the President staring out of her window watching the Marines dig their defences.

0=0=0=0


	27. Chapter 27

27.

**D-Racip.**

Groaning weakly, D-Racip shivered as he lay in his bed. Turning his head so he could look out of the window he could see the columns of smoke as they rose into the clear blue skies of Se-veej city. Everything was the fault of the humans, he told himself. No, not just the humans, he added, his own people had been to blame too.

Things had started to go seriously wrong after the last 'round up'. Some of the humans had been infected with some sort of 'sneezing' sickness. No one had thought very much about it as humans often came aboard the stock ships ill or injured, they nearly always got well again after they had been conditioned, those that didn't were jettisoned either before or after they died. Whatever happened no human illness had ever crossed species to The Race before, but this 'sneezing disease' had and when a Th-rim caught what ever it was it was nearly one-hundred percent fatal.

But even before the disease spread through the population things had started to go wrong. First D-Racip had noticed how other Th-rim had changed, how they appeared to have become more and more fascinated with the hufems once more of the cute little creatures had become available. The hufems also seemed to bring out an unsuspected sadistic streak in The Race. It became normal to beat and torture hufems to increase a Th-rim's sexual excitement. The pain caused by this ill treatment had the effect of breaking the conditioning of the hufems and they started to turn against their masters. Of course a hufem had little chance of injuring, let alone killing an alert Th-rim, but some of them managed it and killed their owners before running away and forming gangs that would prey on unsuspecting Th-rim, it soon became unsafe to walk the city's streets at night.

The final nail in the coffin of the Th-rim race were the Buffy clones, there had been over forty-thousand of them made before it was realised that there was something wrong with their programming. The Pleasure Clones, of which the Buffy's were one of two-hundred-and-fifty different models, had been programmed so that they had very basic thought patterns. Their every living moment was geared towards pleasing their masters, however there was some thing off about the Buffys. For a start they were stronger than even a Th-rim and could kill one quite easily which they did the first time a Th-rim laid an unkind hand on them. The smoke D-Racip could see now was probably from a fire started by a gang of feral Buffys.

But, D-Racip knew he was safe where he was now; he was feeling stronger today and he was pretty sure he'd recover. One of the reasons he felt so sure that he'd get well again was because he had his pet, Harmony to look after him. Ever since he'd come down with this strange illness she'd waited on him hand and foot, making sure that he ate and was comfortable as she could make him. There, D-Racip smiled, this proved that if you treated your pet kindly she'd not turn on you. D-Racip had never laid a cruel hand on Harmony, he'd never scolded her or treated her badly, now she was repaying that kindness by nursing him back to health, he'd have to think of some way of rewarding her. Looking around when he heard the door to the bedroom open, he smiled when he saw Harmony bring the tray with his breakfast on it into the room.

“Harmony,” D-Racip smiled, “how nice to see you this morning...I'm feeling much better.”

0=0=0=0

**Harmony.**

Hiding her frown, Harmony put the tray down on the table next to her master's bed, if he was feeling better then she might not have much more time to carry out her plan. It wasn't much of a plan because Harmony wasn't much of a planner. A lot of her 'plan' relied on her finding someone who was cleverer than she was who'd tell her what to do. But for now she had her own plan and that was good enough for her to go on with.

“I'll be the judge of that,” Harmony told her master as she climbed up onto the bed and knelt next to her him, she laid her hand on D-Racip's forehead, “you still feel very hot to me...”

“But I feel so much better,” D-Racip replied as he reached out and ran his hand up Harmony's thigh, “I think I might get up later.”

“We'll see,” Harmony replied; yes the time had come she had to act before her owner got any stronger, “here let be move your pillows so you can eat your breakfast...”

Slipping a pillow from behind D-Racip's head, Harmony made a show of punching it into submission prior to replacing it behind his head. Sitting astride her master so he couldn't move his arms Harmony placed the pillow over D-Racip's nose and mouth before pressing down with all her strength and weight. Feeling D-Racip's frantic attempts to escape as she pressed down as hard as she could, she noticed his struggles became weaker and weaker until they eventually stopped. Determined not to be fooled she held the pillow in place for several minutes before she decided that he was really dead.

Slowly, Harmony removed the pillow from D-Racip's face. Cautiously she checked for a pulse and sighed with relief when she couldn't find one, her master was dead and she was alone. For a moment the realisation that she had no one to look after her or tell her what to do frightened her, but as she climbed off the corpse of her dead master those thoughts slowly faded into the background. For the first time in a long time, perhaps in her entire life, she was truly free, but... But that didn't stop her from feeling just a little sad and guilty about what she'd done.

“You weren't such a bad demon,” Harmony told the corpse as she stood by the bed she'd shared with her master so often, she smiled at the memories, “an' the sex was really good! But, you were a monster so you had to totally die...”

Turning, Harmony almost skipped as she headed for the door, she'd collect the few things she'd packed to take with her. After that she'd head on out of the apartment block and find one of the gangs that were roaming the streets, there was bound to be someone who'd tell her what to do next.

0=0=0=0

**Joyce.**

Straightening Giles' tie, Joyce smiled, today was a big day. 

Today they were opening the new Sunnydale High School and the great and the good from all around Sunnydale would be there to see the new Principal, Mr Wood, cut the ribbon. Giles and herself would be there too. Giles had got his old job back as school librarian and she'd be there because she was supporting her husband and Dawn, Faith and the children would be there because they were family and today was a day for family.

“Girls!” Joyce called into the kitchen where Dawn, Faith, James and the babies were still having breakfast, “Times getting on, you don't want to be late for Rupert's big day.”

“On it mom!” Faith and Dawn called back.

Faith had given birth to her daughter, Sally, just after what turned out to be The Other's last visit to Earth. Of course no one had known this so when the time came, Joyce had taken Dawn to the fertility clinic and got her impregnated. Of course when the next SATs day came and the other's didn't, everyone had been surprised and Joyce had felt a little guilty about forcing Dawn to get pregnant. But Dawn didn't seem to mind and two months after SATs day she gave birth to Scott. 

In the Fall, Dawn would be off to UC-Sunnydale leaving Scott in the care of herself and Faith. UC-Sunnydale was only five miles away and Dawn could easily come home every evening if she wanted to. Yes, everything appeared to have worked out for the best, people seemed nicer now than they had before the Others had arrived. President Hinton had been re-elected on a 'Find our Lost Kids' ticket and the country was working with a purpose once again.

The only blemish to Joyce's life was the knowledge that she'd never see Buffy again, she didn't even know for sure if her eldest daughter was alive or dead. But she wasn't going to let her sad thoughts about Buffy spoil the day. Life was for living and today was a special day.

“I love you Buffy,” Joyce said quietly to the universe, “I always have and I always will, wherever you might be.”

0=0=0=0

**Buffy.**

The lift lurched as it came to a halt and the doors slid silently open. Before Buffy could take a step out into the corridor one of her bodyguards took hold of her arm and held he back while another stepped out into the corridor to check for danger. Nodding to the Buffy who was preventing Buffy from leaving the elevator the older Buffy signalled that the corridor was threat free and they could go on their way. Surrounded by four girls who looked exactly like her, Buffy sighed heavily and walked out into the corridor; since the plague had wiped out most of The Others, 'Erehwon' had become a dangerous place.

Something had happened after that last hunt when Kali had nearly been caught by that demon with the big gun. The day after the hunt had been a rest day, on the day after no one came to bus everyone away for another hunt. No one came the day after that either, or on the day after that. In fact no one came for almost a week, it was then that Buffy and her little group of friends had realised something majorly weird had happened and they needed to do something before things went back to normal. Their plans for 'The Great Escape' were put on hold when a bunch of guys from the boy's camp managed to tunnel into the girl's camp. There followed a party that would have made the most degenerate Roman Emperor blush and it was three days before Buffy, Crystal and the boy's leader got everyone organised.

Breaking out of the camp was easier than even Buffy had expected. With no guards to stop them the escapees got several of the buses working, that had been used to take them to the hunting grounds and used them as battering rams to break down the camp's gates. Loading everyone onto the buses along with as many supplies as they could fit in the escapees headed off down the one highway that led away from the camp. Two days later the camp refugees found themselves passing through the mountain passes that led to the huge demon city. This had all happened ten months ago and after a good start things had started to fall into disorder as the Taken formed into 'national' groups and started to occupy areas of the city.

The Buffy's, there appeared to be about thirty to forty thousand of them, had formed themselves into a militia. They'd hunted down the few demons that had survived the plague and killed them. They also tried to keep order and when they weren't doing that they rescued people who were trapped inside locked buildings. The Buffys had also found Buffy, when the Buffy commanders had realised that Buffy was the original Buffy from whom all Buffys sprang they started to call her 'Mother Buffy' and put her in charge of all the Buffys on the planet.

The first thing Buffy did was to tell everyone not to call her 'Mother' anymore. This had confused the Buffy clones for a while but they soon rallied and began to call her 'Older Sister'. Realising that she'd never win this battle, and as being called Older Sister was way better than being called 'Mother', Buffy resigned herself to the inevitable. After all her clones had to call her something, the Buffys usually referred to each other by their production number, but as Buffy didn't have a number (although Buffy 000-000-000-000 or Buffy-Zero had been suggested), Older Sister was as good a title as any.

Today Buffy was on her way to see her friend Crystal, she was now the Minister without Portfolio to the Provisional Government. This was a social call and Buffy wasn't there as the head of the Provisional Government's armed forces although she suspected that some official business would be done today. 

Walking down the corridor Buffy saw the Buffy standing guard outside Crystal's office door exchange a word or two with the lead Buffy of her guard detail. Buffy suspected that the clone Buffy's were connected in some way, perhaps they were telepathic between themselves because they rarely spoke more than a few words to each other yet they always seemed to know what needed to be done in any given situation. The guard on Crystal's door came to attention and opened the door to let Buffy enter Crystal's outer office. Smiling her thanks Buffy walked into the room and over to where Crystal's secretary sat behind her desk.

“Hi, Harm,” Buffy smiled, “Crystal's expecting me, can I go in?”

“Good morning, General Summers,” Harmony replied rather formally, but still managed to give Buffy a sort of hero-worshiping smile, “I'll just check...” Harmony pressed a button on her desk and spoke, “...Erm, Minister, General Summers is here to see you shall I let her in?” Harmony paused for just a moment before looking back at Buffy, “You can go in now General.”

“Thanks, Harmony,” Buffy nodded before going on into Crystal's office.

Crystal's office was situated on the top floor of the tallest building in the city. This made it something of a target. Since someone had found a way to make the Other's weapons work people who didn't believe in what the Provisional Government were trying to do kept taking pot-shots at it. However, having a squad or two of Buffys jumping all over the shooters every time they tried to assassinate anyone had seriously cut down the numbers of incidents until there was only about one a fortnight.

“Hi Crystal,” Buffy beamed as she crossed the office to give her friend a hug.

“Hi Buff!” Crystal came out from behind her desk to hug Buffy and lead her over to a couple of couches well away from the window; the two young women sat down and made themselves comfortable, Buffy was the first to speak.

“Is that it?” Buffy shrugged, “We won!? They all caught cold and died!?”

“If it was good enough for H G Wells,” Crystal pointed out, “and the Health Service think it was the flu not a cold.”

“Whatever,” Buffy shrugged, “one of my girls told me this morning that the last demon male on the planet has been hunted down and killed. The females are still a problem...I wonder why they didn't catch the flu too?”

“Who knows,” Crystal shrugged before asking, “Are you and your girls getting everything you need to finish the job?”

“Yeah, totally, we'll have them mopped up in a month or so, but y'know it all feels like a total anti-climax, I thought we'd have to fight a war for years before we won, but the demons just upped and died. Its like the bottom has dropped out of my world.”

“That's better than the world dropping out of your bottom,” Crystal replied with a wide grin; it was an odd thing, but since she'd been Minister without Portfolio, she'd suddenly lost her East London accent.

“Ewww!” Buffy laughed.

“But there's still demons on other planets along with hundreds of millions of human slaves,” Crystal explained, “personally I doubt they'll attack us, but one day we'll have to go out there and liberate our brothers and sisters. Its hard to believe that the Others did all this because of a labour shortage.”

“One day,” Buffy agreed; sometimes Crystal frightened her with the intensity of her passion to destroy every Other in the galaxy.

“Now, I'm making you feel uncomfortable,” Crystal looked away for a moment before smiling at her best friend again, “tell you what, you know our victory was inevitable?”

“It was?” Buffy asked, “Didn't feel like it when we were being hunted.”

“Nah,” for a moment the old non-Minister Crystal reappeared, “from wot we've discovered reading the demon's records...an' there's tons to read...these guys really loved their reports...”

“You can, like, totally read their writing?” Buffy asked in surprise.

“Hey Buff,” Crystal smirked, “I can speak, read and write five human languages and I've taught myself to read demon...”

“Show off,” Buffy pouted, “so what did you find out?”

“Well,” Crystal sighed heavily, “I found out that our erst-while masters were a bunch of impulsive, incompetent wankers who never seemed to think through the consequences of their actions.”

“That explains a lot,” Buffy agreed with a shrug.

“I mean those bio-robot-drug things they injected everyone with to make us all obedient,” Crystal explained, “the one thing that would break the control was pain...”

“Pity about not punching more people,” Buffy sighed.

“Yeah, well, that's life,” Crystal shrugged, “anyway, pain breaks the control then what do they do? They start hurting people, also our science people think the stuff we were given was losing effectiveness anyway...” Crystal shrugged, “...wot did I say about 'em being incompetent losers? Then of course there was making forty-thousand copies of you,” Crystal smirked, “now that was really stupid, but at least now I stand a chance of finding one who'll go to bed with me!”

“Hey,” Buffy looked a little hurt at Crystal's words, “you're talking about my sisters there!”

“And very glad we are to have every one of them...” Crystal pointed out earnestly.

The two young women talked into the evening about their plans for the future. As darkness fell, Harmony brought them refreshments before going home to the Australian guy she was living with.

“What are you're objectives in life, Buff?” Crystal asked as she poured more fruit juice for herself and Buffy.

“Objectives?” Buffy took a contemplative sip of her drink, “Well, we've got to hunt down the demon females, luckily they're pretty stupid which makes them easy to kill...y'know some times I actually feel sorry for the males...”

Crystal gave Buffy a hard look.

“...I said _almost_. After that its restoring order and stopping everyone fighting each other and then...” Buffy shrugged not knowing what she'd be doing then, “...maybe I'll take a vacation, what about you?”

“There's a lot of work to be done Buff,” Crystal pointed out earnestly, “I want everyone to have a place of their own to live, enough to eat. I want our world to be a place where a veteran Buffy can walk safely down the street and where no one dies because they couldn't afford health care. There must be free speech so you can speak out loud about you're doubts and fears, where no one ever disappears, you'll never hear their 'standard issue' kicking in your door in the middle of the night. I want no one to care about your race, colour, religion or sexual orientation and this should be a place where religious maniacs don't blow holes in people by remote control and everyone has recourse to the law and no one ever again makes us into slaves for their own amusement...”

“Wow,” Buffy said quietly, “that's a lot of work, I think I'll need to cancel my vacation for a while.”

“Nah,” Crystal smiled at her friend, “you can take a couple of days off next month.”

Standing watching out of the window, Buffy and Crystal looked out over the city. Of course it wasn't quite as spectacular as when the Others had been in charge. A lot of buildings had been destroyed in the fighting after the plague and some areas didn't have power, but it was still a pretty fantastic sight.

“Oh, by the way, good news,” Crystal said as she sipped her drink, “the science directorate tell me that none of the clones will die when their three years are up.”

“Even the girls who were altered so the Others could breed with them, how come?” Buffy wanted to know; the thought that all those hundreds of thousands of clone girls would die had been weighing heavily on her mind.

“Another demon screw-up,” Crystal replied with a shrug, “they actually managed to increase the clone's lifespan,” Crystal sighed heavily, “they really were a bunch of complete tossers.”

“I'm glad,” Buffy said quietly as she looked up at the stars that shone down on the city, “not about them being tossers but about all those girls who won't die now.” Buffy sighed as she gestured up at the stars, “I wonder which one of those is our sun and our Earth...I wonder if my mom and my sister are alright...I still think about them every day.”

“Of course you do,” Crystal placed her arm around Buffy's shoulder, “like I think about my mum...and one day, maybe, we'll be able to find out. But, until then we'll have to make a new life for ourselves here and once we've done that we must go out and rescue our bothers and sisters who're still held in bondage on other planets. Only then can we try to find Earth...” Crystal paused before raising her glass to the stars and started to sing...

_“...It well recalls the triumphs past,  
It gives the hope of peace at last;   
The banner bright, the symbol plain,   
Of human right and human gain...” _

Raising her own glass, Buffy joined in with the chorus.

_”...So raise the scarlet standard high.  
Beneath its folds we'll live and die,   
Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer,   
We'll keep the red flag flying here...” _

The End.


End file.
